Deborah Akinyosoye
Iran executed two men in separate cases on Wednesday, accusing one of spying for Israel and another of being a member of the Islamic State group, state media reported.
A report by the judiciary news website Mizanonline identified the alleged spy as Rouzbeh Vadi, who was accused of relaying classified information to Israel’s intelligence service, the Mossad.
Authorities said Vadi provided information about an Iranian nuclear scientist who was killed during Israel’s June airstrikes on Iran, according to the report, which did not identifying the scientist or the time and place of Vadi’s arrest.
Vadi met the Mossad officers five times in Vienna, Austria, the report said.
Israel’s ambassador to France, Joshua Zarka, said in June that Israel’s 12-day war on Iran included targeted strikes that killed at least 14 physicists and engineers involved with Iran’s nuclear program.
Iran has hanged seven people for espionage during the conflict with Israel, sparking fears from activists that the government could conduct a wave of executions.
Iran separately hanged a member of Islamic State group on Wednesday after he was convicted of plotting sabotage, Mizanonline reported.
Officials accused Mehdi Asgharzadeh of being a member of the Islamic State group who participated in military training in Syria and Iraq before illegally entering Iran with a four-member team who were killed in a fight with Iranian security, the news site reported.
Authorities said Iran’s Supreme Court upheld the sentences of lower courts and followed full legal procedures before executing both men, Mizanonline reported.