Indexbox – Iran Executes Two More Alleged Spies for Israel Amid International Criticism
The country’s judiciary chief has dismissed international calls to stop the executions, stating that authorities will show no leniency in enforcing sentences. Iranian state media identified the executed individuals as Yaqoub Karimpour and Nasser Bakarzadeh, both convicted of cooperating with Israel. The judiciary claimed Karimpour had worked with Mossad during the 12-day war of June 2025, passing on sensitive national information. Their death sentences were confirmed by Iran’s Supreme Court. The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) had previously warned that the two men were about to be executed. HRANA reported that Karimpour, aged 41, was a follower of the Yarsan religious minority, also called Ahl-e Haqq, while Bakarzadeh was identified as a Kurdish political prisoner. Karimpour was arrested in June 2025 and was denied access to a lawyer and family visits during his detention, according to HRANA. He was held for roughly two months under security measures and pressured to give forced confessions. Bakarzadeh was arrested in December 2023 and had been sentenced to death multiple times by the Urmia Revolutionary Court on espionage charges related to Israel. A recently released audio recording attributed to him from Urmia prison captured him saying that he saw his own death every moment. The judiciary alleged he collected information on senior political and religious figures, as well as coordinates of key sites including the Natanz area, and transmitted them to a Mossad officer. In parallel with recent US and Israeli military attacks, Iranian authorities have executed a significant number of detainees on espionage accusations. The Hengaw human rights organization reported that at least 26 prisoners were executed in Iranian prisons in April 2026 alone. According to Hengaw, at least 14 political prisoners and one woman were among those executed. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, head of Iran’s judiciary, recently responded to international criticism by asserting that the political apparatus and propaganda of the aggressor enemy have no right to dictate which criminals should not be held accountable. He said authorities will not show negligence or leniency in prosecuting any criminal whose hands are stained with the blood of the people and will pay no attention to the bluster of arrogant powers. International human rights organizations and the UN human rights office have repeatedly expressed concern over the wave of executions in Iran and the authorities’ use of such measures to spread fear in society.