DUBAI – Iran said Monday it hanged a man accused of spying for Israel, the latest as Tehran carries out its largest wave of executions in decades.
Iran announced the execution of Bahman Choobiasl, a case not well-documented in Iranian media or known to activists tracking capital punishment in the Islamic Republic. The execution followed Iran’s declaration to retaliate against its adversaries after the United Nations reinstated sanctions tied to Tehran’s nuclear agenda over the weekend.
Choobiasl was accused by Iran of having contacts with representatives of the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency. Iran’s judiciary-linked news agency, Mizan, reported that Choobiasl was involved in “sensitive telecommunications projects” and provided information regarding “the routes for importing electronic devices.”
Iran has previously executed nine individuals for alleged espionage since hostilities with Israel resumed in June. In the conflict, Israel conducted an aerial assault on Iran, resulting in roughly 1,100 casualties, including several high-ranking commanders. In retaliation, Iran launched missile strikes directed at Israel.
In the preceding weeks, Iran executed another man, Babak Shahbazi, accused of spying for Israel. However, activists argued that Shahbazi was coerced into giving a false confession after he had sent a letter to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, expressing his willingness to fight for Ukraine.
Iran has witnessed several nationwide protests in recent years, driven by widespread dissatisfaction with economic conditions, demands for women’s rights, and calls for reform in the country’s theocratic governance.
In reaction to these protests and the conflict in June, Iran has been executing prisoners at rates unseen since 1988 when it carried out mass executions at the conclusion of the Iran-Iraq conflict.
The Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights and the Washington-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran put the number of people executed in 2025 at over 1,000, noting the number could be higher as Iran does not report on each execution.
___
Associated Press writer Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
