Iran Executes Man Accused of Spying for Israel and CIA

Iranian authorities executed a 29-year-old postgraduate student on May 12, 2026, following a conviction for espionage. The man, identified as Erfan Shakourzadeh, was hanged on charges of collaborating with the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Israel’s Mossad intelligence service.

The execution was confirmed by Mizan Online, the official website of the Iranian judiciary. According to the judiciary, Shakourzadeh had been convicted of spying for the two foreign intelligence agencies.

Claims of Forced Confessions

Human rights organizations have challenged the validity of the espionage charges. Norway-based groups Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Hengaw reported that Shakourzadeh was an elite student who had been subjected to torture and held in solitary confinement to extract false confessions.

Prior to his execution, Shakourzadeh reportedly wrote a message from prison rejecting the accusations. In the note, he claimed that the espionage charges were fabricated and that he had been forced to confess after eight and a half months of torture and isolation.

I was arrested on fabricated espionage charges and, after eight and a half months of torture and solitary confinement, was forced into a false confession. Do not let another innocent life be taken in silence. Erfan Shakourzadeh

Hengaw reported that Shakourzadeh was arrested in February 2025. He was held at Evin prison in Tehran before being suddenly transferred earlier in May 2026 to Ghezel Hesar prison, located outside the capital, where he was executed at dawn on May 12.

Academic Background

Shakourzadeh was described by rights groups as an elite student with a high academic standing. He had previously graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Tabriz.

At the time of his arrest, he was a top-ranked master’s student specializing in aerospace engineering at the Iran University of Science and Technology, one of Tehran’s most prestigious institutions.

Broader Wave of Executions

The execution of Shakourzadeh is part of a wider spike in capital punishment in Iran. He is the fifth person executed on espionage charges since late February, a period coinciding with increased conflict involving the United States and Israel.

According to data from Iran Human Rights, the Iranian state has carried out several other executions in recent months targeting different groups. These include:

• 13 men executed on charges related to protests that occurred in January.
• One individual executed in connection with demonstrations from 2022.
• 10 individuals executed due to alleged links to banned opposition groups.

Rights organizations have stated that the Iranian government is utilizing capital punishment as a mechanism to instill fear throughout society during periods of heightened international and domestic tension.