Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 3, 2026. Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS

Iran executed a man on Wednesday who was accused of spying for Israel, the Iranian judiciary’s media outlet Mizan reported, naming him as Hamidreza Sabet Esmaeilipour.

Entangled in a decades-long shadow war with Israel, Iran has executed many people it has accused of having links with the Israeli intelligence service and facilitating its operations in the country.

“Hamidreza Sabet Esmaeilipour who was arrested on April 29, 2025, was hanged for the crime of espionage and intelligence cooperation in favor of a hostile intelligence service [Mossad] through … the transfer of classified documents and information, after the verdict was confirmed by the Supreme Court and through legal procedures,” Mizan said.

Executions of Iranians convicted of spying for Israel have significantly increased since last year following a direct confrontation between the two regional enemies in June, when Israeli and US forces struck Iran‘s nuclear facilities.