Iran executed a man early on Wednesday after convicting him of spying for Israel, with the judiciary identifying him as Mehdi Farid and saying he had worked at a “sensitive organization” and maintained online contact with Mossad officers.
It said Farid headed a non-military defense management committee at one of the country’s sensitive organizations, without naming it, and had shared information including organizational structures, security arrangements and infrastructure.
Rights groups had earlier said Farid was arrested in 2023 and had been working at the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. They said he was first held in Tehran’s Greater Tehran prison before being transferred to Evin prison.
Iran Human Rights had reported last year that he was “initially sentenced to 10 years in prison” and, after a retrial, “sentenced to death on charges of spying for Israel.”
The judiciary said Farid had connected internal servers to infected files on instructions from a Mossad officer and enabled outside access to systems using USB devices.
It added that Farid confessed during the case process to transferring information and had been promised payment and help to leave the country.
Rights groups have raised concerns about the use of forced confessions and due process in Iran.
Iran has carried out several executions in recent months in cases tied to its nuclear sector and alleged links to Israel.
In October, rights group Hengaw said Iran executed Javad Naeimi, described as a nuclear engineer working at the Natanz facility, after convicting him of spying for Israel.
The group said he was hanged in Qom Central Prison and that the execution was carried out in secrecy. Iranian state media reported the execution of a man on espionage charges at the time but did not identify him.
Hengaw said Naeimi had been arrested in February 2024 and sentenced to death after what it described as an opaque judicial process, adding that he was subjected to torture and coerced confessions during interrogation.
In August, Iran executed nuclear scientist Rouzbeh Vadi on similar charges. The judiciary said he had been recruited by Mossad and transferred classified information.
A relative told Iran International that Vadi confessed only after severe torture and threats against his mother, and said the case relied on a televised confession. Rights groups have long raised concerns about the use of forced confessions in such cases.
Following heightened tensions with Israel and the US, Iranian authorities have stepped up arrests, trials and executions in espionage cases, drawing criticism from rights groups and UN experts over due process.
Two senior Iranian officials said on Wednesday that unequal or discriminatory internet access should have no place in government policy, even as much of the country remains cut off from the global internet.z
The remarks come as broad internet restrictions in Iran remain in place, with access to international networks still heavily limited for the public.
Vice President Mohammadreza Aref said equal and non-discriminatory internet access must be provided to all segments of society and that “class-based internet” was not consistent with the government’s “justice-oriented approach.”
He said any restriction or discrimination in internet access would widen gaps in access to digital opportunities and should be avoided.
Communications Minister Sattar Hashemi also said “class-based internet” and whitelist-based access had no place in policymaking.
The Iranian people should be freed from a regime that is carrying out horrific actions against them, US Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) told Iran International.
“We need to be a nation that finds a way for the Iranian people to be free from a regime that is doing horrific things to its own people,” Booker said.
He added that Iranians had faced “generations of suppression of basic, fundamental human rights” and praised them as "extraordinary."
He said the war had added to the suffering of ordinary Iranians, describing civilian deaths as “a grave tragedy.”
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday they were at the height of readiness to continue fighting and warned of crushing strikes if any attack is repeated.
In a statement marking the anniversary of the force’s founding, the IRGC said it was fully prepared for continued confrontation with its enemies.
“We are at the peak of readiness to continue the fight against enemies, and if aggression is repeated, we will deliver crushing blows beyond imagination to their assets in the region," read the statement.
A container ship was fired on by an IRGC gunboat northeast of Oman, causing heavy damage to the vessel’s bridge, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said on Wednesday.
UKMTO said the ship’s master reported being approached by one IRGC gunboat without any VHF challenge before shots were fired at the vessel about 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman.
No fire or environmental damage was reported, and all crew were safe, according to the agency.
UKMTO advised vessels in the area to report suspicious activity.
