Iran has executed two men convicted of spying for Israel, as authorities continue a crackdown on alleged espionage following months of conflict with Israel and the United States.
Iran’s judiciary announced on Monday that Omid Behzad and Pouria Safvat were executed after being found guilty of passing information to Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad.
According to the judiciary’s media outlet, Mizan, the two men transmitted the locations of sensitive military and security facilities to Israeli intelligence during the conflict.
The judiciary said the pair were convicted of espionage and collaboration with what it described as the “Zionist regime.”
“They helped the intelligence services achieve their objectives by providing information on military and security centres during the war,” the judiciary stated.
Authorities did not disclose when the men were arrested or tried.
The executions come amid a rise in death sentences for individuals accused of espionage since the outbreak of the Iran-Israel conflict in February.
Human rights organisations have expressed concern over the growing number of executions in the country. Amnesty International recently condemned what it described as an escalation in executions, while rights groups say Iran carried out more than 1,600 executions last year, one of the highest figures recorded in decades.
