Iran hangs man for role in protests, claims he was working for Mossad

Iran has ramped up its executions since the outbreak of war with Israel and the US, putting to death 9 people linked to the protests since mid-March

TEHRAN — Iran on Saturday executed a man for his role in mass anti-government protests in January, claiming he was carrying out a “mission” on behalf of Israel’s spy agency, the judiciary reported.

It is the latest in a string of executions since war broke out with Israel and the United States.

Erfan Kiani was hanged after his sentence was upheld by the country’s Supreme Court, the judiciary’s Mizan Online website said.

It described Kiani as one of the “main operatives” in a “mission assigned by Mossad” during unrest in the central Iranian province of Isfahan.

The judiciary accused him of “destruction of public and private property, arson, possession and use of Molotov cocktails, carrying a bladed weapon, blocking vehicle routes, attacking officers, and creating fear and panic among citizens”.

His execution follows the hanging on Thursday of another man in Iran who was convicted of membership in a banned opposition group.

Iran has in recent weeks ramped up executions during its war with Israel and the United States that began on February 28.

Authorities have attempted to portray the mass protests that were violently suppressed with thousands killed as being instigated by Israel, the US and opposition groups, including the banned People’s Mujahedin.

The protests initially started as demonstrations against Iran’s dire economic situation and quickly spread across the country.

Since March 19, Iranian authorities have executed nine men on charges linked to the protests.

Iran is the world’s second most prolific user of the death penalty after China, according to rights groups including Amnesty International.

Source: timesofisrael.com, AFP, April 25, 2026

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."
— Oscar Wilde

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