Erbil, Kurdistan Region - Iranian authorities on Thursday executed another prisoner, citing alleged ties to Israel’s intelligence service, Mossad, as well as to an exiled opposition group, a media affiliate of the Iranian judiciary reported. This comes as Tehran has in recent weeks executed more than a dozen detainees, including individuals arrested during nationwide anti-government protests in January.
Mizan Online relayed that Soltanali Shirzadi Fakhr was hanged after he “was convicted on charges of moharebeh [waging war against God] through membership in the terrorist [Mojahedin Khalq Organization] MKO/MEK group.”
The Iranian judiciary’s media outlet further alleged that Shirzadi Fakhr had “in recent years, while residing abroad, been recruited by the Mossad intelligence service to carry out covert, anti-security operations and terrorist activities within the country,” and that he had “confessed to his long-term organizational roles and his direct involvement in recent sabotage plots coordinated by foreign intelligence services.”
Mizan Online added that the sentence “was carried out this morning [Thursday] after being upheld by the Supreme Court and following the completion of all legal and religious procedures.”
The US and Israel in late February launched a preemptive air campaign against Iran, targeting more than 17,000 sites across the country over six weeks of hostilities before the warring sides agreed to a Pakistan-mediated ceasefire on April 8.
Since the onset of the hostilities, Tehran has detained thousands of people for taking photos and videos of strikes and strike sites, accusing them of “aiding the enemy.” The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence and the intelligence ministry have, during the same period, published numerous alleged confessions of detainees accused of recording footage of attacks carried out by Israel and the US.