ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iran carried out the death sentence of two individuals suspected of spying for Israel’s intelligence during the 12-day war last year and the recent war, the judiciary said on Monday. 

Omid Behzad and Pourya Safwat, “two mercenaries of the Zionist regime and traitors to the country who had helped Mossad officers … achieve their goals by sending coordinates, images, and information from military and security centers,” were hanged on Monday, the judiciary’s Mizan Online said. 

Their executions were carried out after approval from the Supreme Court, according to Mizan. They had been arrested by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). 

Last week, Iran publicly executed two accused of killing police officers with machetes and burning them alive in Isfahan. 

Scores of people took to the streets in Isfahan in an attempt to stop their executions but were pushed back as security forces launched a crackdown, according to several human rights monitors. 

Iran has a long history of broadcasting alleged confessions from detainees that are widely believed to have been obtained through threats, psychological pressure, and, in some cases, physical torture.

In a report late last month, the UN censured Iran for issuing death sentences without fair trials and said that at least 24 people have been executed by the Islamic republic in 2026 in connection with the January protests, urging Iran to halt the hangings. 

Iran has witnessed a record high rate of executions recently, with the US-Israeli war on the country that started in late February and the nationwide January protests.