Iran has hanged two men it accused of spying for Israel as the Islamic republic’s execution spree -- often based on vague national security charges -- since the start of the war with the United States and Israel shows few signs of slowing down.The judiciary-run Mizan news agency said Omid Behzad and Puria Safvat were executed in the early hours of August 3.The news agency claimed that the two men had "provided significant assistance" to Israel’s intelligence service, Mossad, in achieving its objectives during the June 2025 conflict -- which Iran dubs the 12-Day War -- and the ongoing conflict that started on February 28, by "sending coordinates, images, and information on military and security facilities to Mossad officers and communication channels affiliated with the spy agency."
Iran's judiciary claims that the intelligence organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) identified the two men by "monitoring the behavior" of foreign-based media outlets, certain news channels, and the pattern of videos they had sent.The Islamic republic's judiciary alleges that "technical examinations" of Behzad's mobile phone revealed this activity, and that he confessed to it "during the investigation." It remains unclear, however, under what conditions the prisoner may have been compelled to confess. Rights group have long accused Iranian authorities of extracting forced confessions.Mizan alleged that Behzad had “explicitly confessed” to using “location-finding apps like Google Maps” to find and mark coordinates of various sites.The report also accuses Safvat of "direct cooperation with Mossad," without providing any evidence.Since the start of the war with the United States and Israel on February 28, Iran has witnessed a surge in executions of people human rights groups consider political prisoners -- from demonstrators to alleged members of banned groups and those convicted of spying.
