Iranian authorities executed four people Sunday accused of working for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, the state-run IRNA news agency said. Three others received lengthy prison sentences.
"This morning, the sentences of four main members of the gang of mobsters related to the Zionist intelligence service were executed," the judiciary’s Mizan Online website reported.
IRNA said the country’s powerful Revolutionary Guard announced the arrests of a network of people linked to the Israeli agency. It said the members had previous criminal records and tried to disrupt the country’s security.
Israel and Iran
...Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979...are regional arch-enemies and Iran occasionally announces the detention of people it says are spying for foreign countries, including the United States and Israel. Iran does not recognize Israel and supports anti-Israeli terror groups across the region, such as
Hezbollah and Hamas, a regional Iranian catspaw,.Network members allegedly stole and destroyed private and public property and kidnapped individuals and interrogated them, according to the report. It said the alleged spies had weapons and received wages from Mossad in the form of cryptocurrency.
IRNA identified the executed prisoners as Hossein Ordoukhanzadeh, Shahin Imani Mahmoudabadi, Milad Ashrafi, and Manouchehr Shahbandi. Three other members of the group received sentences of five to 10 years in prison, according to the news agency, but they were not identified.
Reports did not say how the executions were carried out.
Iran and Israel have long accused each other of spying. Israel views Iran as its greatest threat and has repeatedly threatened to take military action to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran denies seeking such weapons and has vowed a harsh response to any Israeli aggression.
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Three other people were sentenced to between five and 10 years in prison for possession of weapons and crimes against Iran’s national security, the website added.
In July, the judiciary had announced the arrest of a number of suspects it claimed were working with the Mossad. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced in October it had arrested an individual it accused of being a spy for Israel in the southeastern city of Kerman.