The Islamic Republic of Iran executed a citizen convicted of espionage on Sunday, marking the first time the regime has carried out a capital sentence for a spying offense committed during the ongoing war against Israel and the United States, AFP reported.
According to a report published by the Iranian judiciary's official Mizan Online website, the condemned individual was identified as Mojtaba Kian. Mizan Online stated that Kian, "who sent information related to the country’s defense industry units to the enemy, was hanged early this morning."
The state-run media platform reported that the individual covertly funneled sensitive data regarding Iran's domestic military production capabilities throughout the roughly 40-day conflict.
While the regime has systematically accelerated its execution of individuals accused of treasonous collaboration with the "Zionist-American enemy" since the outbreak of hostilities, all previous executions had targeted individuals whose alleged offenses predated the war.
Sunday's hanging represents a dramatic shift as the first case tied directly to wartime intelligence gathering.
Judicial documents allege that Kian "sent multiple messages to hostile networks affiliated with “the Zionist-American enemy", including coordinates and information on facilities producing parts related to the country’s defense industries."
State authorities claimed that Kian utilized foreign satellite television channels to transmit the intelligence. While the judiciary refused to name the specific networks involved, the Ayatollah's regime has a long history of accusing independent, expatriate Persian-language broadcasters of operating as direct intelligence conduits for Israel.
Iran regularly accuses Israel of acts of sabotage on its soil, and regularly captures and executes individuals accused of spying for Israel.
Iran is the world's second most prolific executioner after China, according to rights groups based outside the country, which accuse the Islamic Republic of using capital punishment as a tool to instil fear throughout society.
Amnesty International published a report last week finding that Iran executed more than 2,150 individuals last year.
The organization confirmed that at least 2,707 executions took place globally in 2025. Of that international total, an astounding 2,159 hangings were carried out by Tehran alone, a number that more than doubles the Iranian regime's execution metrics from 2024.