ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iran on Saturday executed a man from Isfahan after he was convicted of carrying out intelligence missions for Israel inside the country and setting fire to public property during nationwide protests in January, state media reported.

“Erfan Kiani, one of the main elements of the enemy in the January riots in Isfahan, who, on a Mossad mission, had destroyed and burned public and private property, created terror in the city, and carried out gunfire, was hanged this morning,” state broadcaster IRIB reported.

Iranian authorities said the execution was carried out after the Supreme Court upheld the sentence and legal procedures were completed.

State media said Kiani had been convicted of offenses including destruction of public and private property, arson, carrying and using Molotov cocktails, possessing weapons, blocking roads, attacking security officers, and spreading fear among citizens.

According to state media, prosecutors said Kiani led a group during unrest at the Piroozi intersection in Isfahan on January 8 at around 8 pm, where they allegedly attempted to damage public property and used wooden planks and tires to prepare fires in the street.

The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights said Kiani was among those arrested during the January protests in Isfahan and had been sentenced to death on charges including “moharebeh,” or waging war against God.

Hengaw said Kiani was the eighth protest-related detainee executed since the start of a 40-day conflict involving Iran earlier this year. The group condemned the execution and said authorities had accelerated death sentences against protesters.

Iran recorded its highest number of executions in more than 15 years in 2025, according to Amnesty International. Many of the cases involved allegations of espionage, national security charges, and alleged ties to Israel or the US.