Iran executed a man convicted of spying for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency on Wednesday, state media said, in a case authorities described as involving the transfer of sensitive security information and direct coordination with alleged Israeli operatives inside the country.
The judiciary’s Mizan news agency said Ali Ardestani was hanged after Iran’s Supreme Court upheld his death sentence.
According to the court ruling, Ardestani was recruited online by Mossad officers and carried out assigned tasks in exchange for payments and promises, including financial rewards and the prospect of a visa to Britain.
According to the report, Ardestani was accused of collecting images and information about specific locations and individuals and transferring them to Mossad handlers.
The judiciary said that Ardestani had both virtual and in-person contacts with alleged intermediaries inside Iran.
Mizan said Ardestani was arrested while carrying out what it described as an intelligence mission and later admitted during interrogations and court proceedings that he was aware he was working with Mossad.
Iran has executed more than a dozen people in recent months on charges of spying for Israel, cases that human rights groups say often involve opaque legal proceedings. Israel rarely comments on such allegations.
Iranian authorities have said more than 700 people were detained on suspicion of espionage or collaboration with Israel following the conflict in June.
In a statement carried by state media, the council said allegations and interventionist remarks directed at Iran could be treated as hostile acts if they went beyond rhetoric.
It said Iran’s security, independence and territorial integrity constituted a red line that cannot be crossed, and warned that continued hostile behavior would prompt a response, with full responsibility for the consequences resting with those behind it.
The statement said that, within the framework of legitimate defense, Iran did not consider itself restricted to responding only after an action had taken place and would treat tangible signs of a threat as part of its security assessment.
“Any infringement on national interests, interference in internal affairs or action against Iran’s stability will be met with a proportionate, targeted and decisive response... An escalation in threatening language and interventionist conduct that goes beyond verbal posturing may be interpreted as hostile behavior.”
The Defense Council was formed following the 12-day war in June on the order of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The warning comes as protests have continued across Iran in recent days, with senior officials accusing Washington and Israel of interference in the country’s internal affairs.
On Monday, Iran’s foreign ministry said statements by some US and Israeli officials amounted to interference and incitement to violence under international norms.
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday night aboard Air Force One that the United States was monitoring developments in Iran closely and warned that if Iranian authorities resumed killing protesters, the country would face a strong response from Washington.
At least 29 people have been killed and more than 1,200 arrested in nine days of nationwide protests in Iran, according to rights group HRANA, as demonstrations and strikes continue despite a heavier security presence.
