Iran hangs 2 over alleged Mossad ties as executions mount: What to know
Rights groups have warned that Iran may step up executions with the resumption of the war in the region.
Iran executed two men on Monday after accusing them of spying on behalf of Israel’s intelligence agency, as rights groups warn the Islamic Republic is ramping up death sentences amid the war in the region.
What happened: Judicial authorities identified the two men as Omid Behzad and Pouria Safvat. Behzad was found guilty of sending coordinates of security centers to “Mossad-linked networks” during the war with the United States and Israel that began in February, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.
Safvat was deemed guilty of sending information on critical sites that were later bombed to the London-based anti-regime news outlet Iran International, which Mehr described as a “Mossad-linked communication framework.”
Mehr reported that both men were arrested by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, adding that their sentences were upheld by Iran's Supreme Court.
Why it matters: At least 370 people were executed in Iran in the first half of 2026, compared to 1,639 in 2025, according to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights organization. Most death sentences stem from drug and murder charges, according to the group.
Amnesty International said last week that of those executed so far this year, 52 have been on charges related to the January protests and other politically motivated and security offenses, including espionage. The watchdog characterized the death sentences in such cases as resulting from "torture-tainted, grossly unfair trials" in a statement.
Iran Human Rights director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam told Agence France-Presse last month that he fears Iranian authorities will “intensify the execution of political prisoners” now that fighting with the US has resumed.
The June memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran broke down last month over tensions regarding maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, leading to renewed fighting between the two, most recently last week.
Two men were publicly hanged last week after being convicted of killing police officers during the January protests. Earlier in July, two men found guilty of belonging to the Islamic State were executed, according to state media.
HRANA, a US-based Iranian rights group, said another protester was executed on Saturday. That execution and the two on Monday mark three since Amnesty International’s statement that 52 have been executed in political cases this year, bringing the total to at least 55.
The United Nations’ human rights body warned last week that 10 men were awaiting execution on charges stemming from the protests.
Major anti-government protests and riots broke out in late December and early January throughout Iran, prompted by the collapse of the currency. Iran launched a brutal crackdown in response, killing at least 6,488 protesters. More than 200 members of the security forces and military were killed as well, with the total death toll topping 7,000, according to HRANA.
Know more: The Islamic Republic regularly accuses its opponents of working with Israel and the US. Last Wednesday, the Intelligence Ministry said it dismantled a terror cell in the southeast Sistan and Baluchistan province accused of working with American and Israeli intelligence.
Iranian media reported that a police officer was killed in Sistan and Baluchistan on Thursday. Baluchis are predominantly Sunni Muslims, and the province is one of Iran’s most impoverished.