Esmail Fekri was hanged in Iran early Sunday morning after being convicted of espionage for Israel’s Mossad, marking the third such execution in three weeks as Tehran intensifies its crackdown on suspected foreign operatives.
The Iranian judiciary confirmed the execution via state-aligned Fars News Agency on June 16, 2025, stating that Fekri had been found guilty of “collaborating with a hostile government” and “endangering national security.” His trial, held in a Revolutionary Court, was described by human rights observers as opaque and rushed, sparking fresh international concern over Iran’s escalating use of capital punishment in security-related cases.
Iranian intelligence officials claim Fekri was recruited by Mossad during a trip to Georgia in 2021 and had since been involved in relaying sensitive military data, including the locations of missile storage facilities in Isfahan and Qom. Authorities alleged he received encrypted communication tools and thousands of dollars in foreign currency over a two-year period before being arrested in early 2024.
This latest execution follows the arrest of two other alleged Mossad-linked operatives in Alborz Province, north of Tehran, who were said to be caught with surveillance equipment and sabotage blueprints targeting critical energy infrastructure. Iranian officials claim the suspects were intercepted before launching coordinated attacks.
Tensions between Iran and Israel have reached new levels, with both nations exchanging open missile strikes since June 14, a departure from the usual covert attacks and cyberwarfare that have long defined their conflict. Over 400 people have died in both countries over the past three days alone, according to regional media reports.
Iran accuses Mossad of orchestrating assassinations of nuclear scientists and senior military figures on its soil, including a car bombing last month in Shiraz. Meanwhile, Israel blames Iranian proxies for drone attacks on its northern and southern borders, heightening fears of a wider regional war.
Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have condemned the executions as politically motivated and urged Iran to cease using the death penalty as a tool of state retaliation. But Tehran appears undeterred, signaling that it will continue pursuing what it calls “counterintelligence justice” as long as threats from foreign agencies persist.
