South Korea weighs participation in US-led Hormuz maritime mission

Iran executed Ehsan Afrashteh on Wednesday on accusations of espionage and intelligence cooperation with Israel, the judiciary’s Mizan News reported.

Afrashteh, who was born in the central city of Isfahan in 1993 and held a master’s degree in civil engineering, was arrested in early 2024 after returning from Turkey and spent several months in solitary confinement under interrogation at a security facility, according to Iran Human Rights Monitor.

Mizan claimed Afrashteh had become fluent in English, French and Hebrew during what it described as his cooperation with Israel.

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Afrashteh, who was born in the central city of Isfahan in 1993 and held a master’s degree in civil engineering, was arrested in early 2024 after returning from Turkey and spent several months in solitary confinement under interrogation at a security facility, according to Iran Human Rights Monitor.

Mizan claimed Afrashteh had become fluent in English, French and Hebrew during what it described as his cooperation with Israel.

It accused him of selling sensitive information to Israel and claimed that he had been trained by Mossad in Nepal.

The judiciary-linked outlet also claimed that he initially carried out instructions while working as an online taxi driver.

Several human rights organizations had previously warned that he was at imminent risk of execution.

Iranian poet Peyman Farahavar remains at risk of execution after the country’s Supreme Court rejected his request for judicial review, a rights group said on Tuesday.

The case against him stemmed from his poetry, political writings and protest activities, the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center said, citing sources close to his family, who also said he had not taken part in any armed activities.

The US-based group said former cellmates reported torture during interrogation, the destruction of some of his handwritten poems and denial of full medical care despite serious health problems.

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The case against him stemmed from his poetry, political writings and protest activities, the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center said, citing sources close to his family, who also said he had not taken part in any armed activities.

The US-based group said former cellmates reported torture during interrogation, the destruction of some of his handwritten poems and denial of full medical care despite serious health problems.

Farahavar, a 37-year-old father from Iran’s northern province of Gilan, was sentenced to death on accusations of “armed rebellion against the state” (baghi) and “enmity against God” (moharebeh) by a Revolutionary Court in Rasht.

Farahavar was arrested in Rasht in September 2024 and later transferred to Lakan Prison after being held at an Intelligence Ministry detention center, the group said.

Iran has been carrying out near-daily executions, which has raised fears for detainees believed to be facing the death penalty over January’s anti-government protests, as well as prisoners accused of espionage during the war with the United States and Israel.

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  Iran executes another political prisoner on spying charges

Iran appears to be preparing for a possible resumption of hostilities with the United States and Israel while seeking guarantees against future attacks in any negotiations, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on Tuesday.

The Washington-based think tank said Tehran indicated it will not negotiate without credible deterrence measures, including demands related to sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.

The report also said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps appeared to be consolidating influence within Iran’s leadership structure under Ahmad Vahidi and his inner circle.