In a recent verdict by an Iranian revolutionary court, four individuals have been sentenced to death for allegedly spying for Israel, according to a report from the semi-official Fars news agency.
Three of the defendants were reportedly involved in assisting Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, by moving equipment used in the 2020 assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. Fakhrizadeh was a prominent figure, believed by Western intelligence agencies to have played a central role in Iran’s nuclear program. Iran has consistently denied any intent to develop nuclear weapons.
The Jewish Chronicle previously reported that Fakhrizadeh’s assassination was carried out with a remote-operated, one-ton gun that Mossad smuggled into Iran in pieces, allegedly with the help of both Israeli and Iranian operatives. Israel has maintained its policy of not commenting on the operation, and on Wednesday, an Israeli government spokesperson reiterated this stance.
The fourth defendant sentenced in Iran was reportedly connected to another espionage case unrelated to the assassination.
Iran and Israel have been locked in a shadow conflict for years, marked by allegations of sabotage and targeted killings. This rivalry intensified in 2023, with Iran launching a significant missile strike on Israel on October 1, following earlier aerial strikes from Israel against Iranian military sites. Israel’s airstrikes in October reportedly targeted and damaged key Iranian ballistic missile production facilities and disrupted air defenses.
Iran has officially condemned Israel’s existence, with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei describing Israel as a “cancerous tumor” that he believes will ultimately be eliminated.