This article was originally published in Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). Read the original article. 

Iran has hanged two men it accused of spying for Israel as the Islamic republic’s execution spree -- often based on vague national security charges -- since the start of the war with the United States and Israel shows few signs of slowing down.

The judiciary-run Mizan news agency said Omid Behzad and Puria Safvat were executed in the early hours of August 3.

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The news agency claimed that the two men had "provided significant assistance" to Israel’s intelligence service, Mossad, in achieving its objectives during the June 2025 conflict -- which Iran dubs the 12-Day War -- and the ongoing conflict that started on February 28, by "sending coordinates, images, and information on military and security facilities to Mossad officers and communication channels affiliated with the spy agency."

Iran's judiciary claims that the intelligence organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) identified the two men by "monitoring the behavior" of foreign-based media outlets, certain news channels, and the pattern of videos they had sent.

The Islamic republic's judiciary alleges that "technical examinations" of Behzad's mobile phone revealed this activity, and that he confessed to it "during the investigation." It remains unclear, however, under what conditions the prisoner may have been compelled to confess. Rights group have long accused Iranian authorities of extracting forced confessions.

Mizan alleged that Behzad had “explicitly confessed” to using “location-finding apps like Google Maps” to find and mark coordinates of various sites.

The report also accuses Safvat of "direct cooperation with Mossad," without providing any evidence.

Since the start of the war with the United States and Israel on February 28, Iran has witnessed a surge in executions of people human rights groups consider political prisoners -- from demonstrators to alleged members of banned groups and those convicted of spying.

Some rights groups say more than 50 people hit with security and political charges have been executed since the beginning of the war, though others put the number much higher.

Broadly speaking, the charges Iran has used for executions since the beginning of the war include spying for hostile states, cooperation with Israel and the United States, Moharebeh (enmity against God), and armed rebellion through membership of the exiled opposition Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization.

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In a statement on July 27, UN experts accused the Islamic republic of trying to “instill fear across society, deter future demonstrations, and silence dissent” through executions. “Yet repression only breeds further dissent.”

According to the latest verified data, 433 people have been executed in Iran so far this year, many of whom were sentenced to death in connection with the January protests where thousands were killed by security forces and tens of thousands more detained.

Rights groups and international observers have raised concerns over the fairness of the proceedings, including allegations of coerced confessions and limited access to due process.

Copyright (c)2025 RFE/RL, Inc. Used with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty  

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