Tehran: Iran carried out the execution of four individuals from its Kurdish minority who were accused of spying for Israel.
The four men, aged under 30, were hanged after being convicted of collaborating with Israel on a plan to sabotage an Iranian defence site in the central province of Isfahan.
The execution defied calls from rights groups to spare their lives, with concerns raised over the fairness of their trial and allegations of torture.
The judiciary's Mizan Online website stated that the individuals were "members of a group affiliated with the Zionist spy organisation," in an apparent reference to Israel's Mossad. Despite their Kurdish ethnicity, the accusations did not emphasise their minority background.
Relatives were summoned for a final meeting with the individuals before their execution, and the move has fueled broader concerns about a surge in executions in Iran.
Amnesty International characterised their trial as "grossly unfair," highlighting an "enforced disappearance" during their arrests in July 2022. The executions are seen as part of heightened tensions between Iran and Israel, with both countries engaged in a long-standing shadow war.
The executed individuals were accused of being recruited by Mossad, sent to African countries for training, and sentenced to death in September 2023. Iran had previously claimed to foil a Mossad-initiated project to sabotage its ballistic missile industry.
The execution follows a recent increase in the number of executions in Iran, with at least 65 people executed in the country so far this year, according to the Iran Human Rights (IHR) group.