Tehran: On Monday, Iranian state media reported the execution of four men believed to have ties with the Israeli spy agency Mossad. The quartet was accused of planning a bomb attack ordered by Mossad.
The individuals—identified as Mohsen Mazloum, Pejman Fatehi, Vafa Azarbar, and Hajir Faramarzi—were presumably hanged, Iran's default method of execution. The Islamic Republic News Agency described them as "terrorists".
The executed men were convicted of illegally entering Iran from Iraq's northern Kurdish region with plans to attack a factory in Isfahan, producing equipment for the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics. Iranian intelligence thwarted the operation, planned for the summer of 2022.
The executions come against the backdrop of heightened tensions between Iran and Israel, exacerbated by the ongoing Israel’s war on Gaza. Iran and Israel have a long history of hostility, with the current dispute centred around Iran's nuclear program.
Israel accuses Iran of supporting armed groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, while Iran alleges that Israel is responsible for the targeted killings of Iranian officials and scientists.
Iran, executing more individuals annually than any country except China, typically employs hanging as the method. In December, three men and one woman were executed for alleged links to Mossad.
United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk said last year that Iran had an “abominable” track record of executions, with an average of more than 10 people hanged each week.
