Dawn Executions in Iran: Six Alleged Israeli Agents Put to Death
Iran’s judiciary announced on Saturday that it had executed six individuals accused of being members of a separatist terrorist network working for Israel, according to the state-run news agency IRNA.
The convicts allegedly confessed to planning and carrying out several deadly attacks, including the killing of four security officers and a bombing in the city of Khorramshahr, located in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan Province.
According to the Judiciary Media Center, after all legal procedures were completed and the Supreme Court approved the sentences, the executions were carried out at dawn on Saturday. The six men were said to have conducted a series of armed assaults and bombings targeting the security of the Khuzestan region in recent years.
The report added that the “terrorists” had directly participated in the killing of members of Iran’s internal security forces and confessed to planning and executing acts of sabotage, such as manufacturing and planting explosives, bombing a gas station in Khorramshahr, launching armed attacks on banks, throwing grenades at a military facility, and opening fire on mosques.
Authorities claimed that the executed individuals had been in direct contact with Israel and had received support from foreign entities deemed hostile to Iran.
Iran Tightens Its Anti-Espionage Laws
The executions come just days after Iran’s parliament passed a bill toughening penalties for espionage on behalf of Israel and the United States.
The law must be signed within five days by President Massoud Pezeshkian to take effect.
Introduced on June 23, the bill was debated amid heightened tensions between Iran and Israel, following a 12-day conflict and U.S. airstrikes on several Iranian nuclear sites.
During that period, Iran arrested numerous individuals accused of spying for Israel and the U.S.
The Guardian Council, the body that reviews all legislation, confirmed approval of the bill, which increases punishments for espionage and cooperation with Israel or “hostile nations”.
In addition to the U.S. and Israel, the law does not specify which other countries fall under this category, but it defines deliberate assistance to these states as “corruption on earth”, one of Iran’s most serious offenses, punishable by death.
Under the previous legal framework, espionage was not explicitly punishable by execution and did not target specific nations.
The new legislation also imposes up to two years in prison for the use, purchase, or sale of unauthorized electronic communication devices, such as Starlink terminals, used to bypass Internet restrictions.
Furthermore, anyone sending videos or photos to foreign or “hostile” media outlets deemed harmful to national security may face up to five years’ imprisonment, according to IRNA.
