The four individuals were accused of planning a bomb attack targeting a factory producing military equipment. Iran has carried out the execution of four men believed to have ties to an Israeli intelligence operation.
The death penalties were enforced after the Supreme Court turned down appeals, as reported by Iranian state media. The group was charged with orchestrating a bomb plot orchestrated by Israel’s Mossad agency.
The men were found guilty of illegally entering Iran from the northern Kurdish region of Iraq with the intention of attacking a factory in Isfahan, located in central Iran, that manufactures equipment for the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics. The plan, set for the summer of 2022, was thwarted by Iranian intelligence.
“The death penalty for four members of a group affiliated with the Zionist spy organization was carried out this morning,” stated the Iranian judiciary’s website, Mizan Online.
Iran and Israel have been long-standing enemies, engaged in a dispute over Iran’s nuclear program. Meanwhile, Israel accuses Iran of supporting armed groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, both of which it is combating. Iran, in turn, accuses Israel of carrying out a series of assassinations of Iranian officials and scientists, allegations that Tel Aviv neither confirms nor denies.
A surge in executions
According to Amnesty, Iran executes more individuals yearly than any other country except China, usually through hanging.
In late December, three men and one woman convicted of alleged links to Mossad were executed.
Last week, an Iranian man, Mohammed Ghobadlou, who was sentenced for his involvement in anti-government protests in late 2022, was put to death. Critics argued that the accused suffered from mental health issues.
“We are deeply troubled by reports of unfair trial proceedings in Mr. Ghobadlou’s case, as well as in other cases, which failed to meet due process and fair trial standards mandated by international human rights law to which Iran is bound,” declared experts from the UN’s human rights agency following the execution of the sentenced individual.
“We are concerned by the unprecedented increase in executions in Iran and note that at least 834 individuals were executed in 2023, including 8 people associated with the nationwide protests,” the experts added. “We urge the Iranian government to halt this distressing surge of executions.”
United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk stated last year that Iran has an “abominable” track record of executions, with an average of over 10 people hanged each week.
