Mohsen Langarneshin was found guilty of having helped Mossad operations for two years, including the murder of an IRGC colonel.
Iran has executed a “senior spy” to cooperate with the Mossad Intelligence Agency, said its judicial system.
Mohsen Langarneshes, which was hanged on Wednesday morning, provided Mossad with a “logistical, technical and operational support” extended for two years, from 2020, said the judiciary via its official news agency, Mizan.
One of the main accusations against Langarnesheshin was his involvement in the May 2022 murder of a colonel of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), Sayyad Khodai, who was shot down by two motorcyclists on the way to Tehran. According to the New York Times, Israel informed The United States that he was responsible for murder.
Mizan reported that Langarneshin had bought a motorcycle to follow the Khodai movements, reported the information in Mossad and was present during the murder. In addition, he was accused of having supported an attack on an industrial site in Isfahan, affiliated with the Iranian Ministry of Defense and Logistics of the Armed Forces.
Iran cited “in -depth intelligence and technical evidence” linking Langarneneshin to these operations, and said that it had “fully admitted” its involvement.
Reactions
However, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the head of the Human Rights Monitor in Norway (RSI), said that Langarneshin had been sentenced after an unjust trial and a confession was obtained by torture.
“The Iranian authorities’ execution machine is accelerating every day, taking the lives of more people,” he told the AFP news agency, describing executions as “extrajudicial killings”.
The center of Abdorrahman Boroumand based in the United States, which had campaigned above his case, said that Langarneshes had been sentenced after his arrest in July 2023 before a revolutionary court chaired by judge Abolghasem Salavati, sanctioned by the United States and the EU and notorious for his death sentences.
“He denied all the accusations, declaring that his confessions had been extracted under torture,” said the group.
British actor and activist of Iranian Nazanin Boniadi wrote on X: “The bloodthirsty Islamic Republic has executed another innocent.”
Previous executions
Caught in a ghost war of several decades with Israel, Iran has executed many people on their alleged ties with Mossad, in particular those accused of sabotage and assassination efforts to undermine its nuclear program.
In December 2023, three men and a woman were executed for their alleged ties with Mossad.
The execution of Langarneshin intervenes in the midst of the American nuclear talks of Iran, that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abbas Araghchi, accused Israel of having tried to derail. According to Tehran, a fourth round of negotiations mediated by Oman between Washington and Tehran is scheduled for Saturday in Rome.
Araghchi described the last series of indirect talks, which was held on April 26 in Muscat, as “extremely serious”, but he remained “extremely prudent” of their potential success.
