Iran executes two more over 'spying for Israel'

Iran has executed two more individuals on charges of “spying for Israel”, as a new wave of executions continues in the country.

The development comes as Iran’s judiciary chief dismissed international pressure to halt executions, saying authorities would show “no leniency” in carrying out sentences.

According to Iranian media, Yaqoub Karimpour and Nasser Bakarzadeh were executed after being convicted of cooperation with Israel.

Both men were hanged on May 2, 2026 at dawn, according to multiple reports, in Urmia Central Prison).

Iran’s judiciary claimed that Karimpour had “effectively cooperated” with Mossad during the 12-day war of June 2025, transmitting sensitive national information to Israel’s intelligence service. Their death sentences had been upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) had previously warned of the pair’s imminent execution. The group identified Karimpour as a follower of the Yarsan religious minority, also known as Ahl-e Haqq (People of Truth) and Bakarzadeh as a Kurdish political prisoner.

According to HRANA, Karimpour, 41 years old, was arrested in June 2025 and throughout his detention was denied access to a lawyer and visits from his family. He was kept for about two months under security and pressured to obtain forced confessions.

Nasser Bakrzadeh was arrested in December 2023 and was several times sentenced to death by the Urmia Revolutionary Court on the charge of 'espionage for Israel'.

A recently released audio file attributed to him from inside Urmia prison quoted him as saying, "Every moment I see my own death."

Source: Euronews, Staff, May 2, 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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