Iran hanged two men on Monday convicted of passing coordinates, photographs and videos of sensitive military and security sites to channels linked to Israel's Mossad intelligence service. Omid Behzad and Pouria Safvat were executed after Iran's Supreme Court upheld their sentences for espionage and cooperation with Israel, the judiciary announced.
The judiciary-linked Mizan news agency said Behzad transmitted coordinates of armed forces and security facilities that were later targeted in airstrikes, while Safvat sent photos and videos to the exile broadcaster Iran International in addition to Mossad-linked channels. The men were convicted of espionage during the current war that began with a US-Israeli strike on Iran on February 28 and a prior 12-day conflict in June 2025.
Rights groups have condemned Iran's use of capital punishment. The country executed at least 1,639 people last year, the highest tally since 1989, according to Norway-based Iran Human Rights. Amnesty International put the 2025 figure at 2,159, more than double the prior year. The rights group Hengaw accused authorities of using death sentences in espionage cases to intimidate and suppress society.