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Iran Executes Engineer Accused of CIA, Mossad Spying

5/11/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Iran executed 29-year-old aerospace engineer Erfan Shakourzadeh for alleged CIA and Mossad spying.
Human-rights groups say his confession followed nine months of solitary-cell torture, which he denounced in a smuggled note.
The hanging brings the recent security-related death toll to nearly 30, part of a post-February-war surge.
Iran’s intelligence ministry reported dismantling two alleged Mossad cells across six provinces and seizing weapons.

History

Historical Context

After the 1979 revolution, Khomeini’s new regime launched a sweeping purge—by 1984 roughly 8,000 opponents had been executed and the 1981-82 Cultural Revolution massacres were later deemed crimes against humanity. The Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC, born in that era, now claim to have foiled two alleged Mossad cells and executed Erfan Shakourzadeh, continuing the pattern of hard-line security reprisals.

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Story summary

Iran executed 29-year-old aerospace engineer Erfan Shakourzadeh for alleged CIA and Mossad spying.
Human-rights groups say his confession followed nine months of solitary-cell torture, which he denounced in a smuggled note.
The hanging brings the recent security-related death toll to nearly 30, part of a post-February-war surge.
Iran’s intelligence ministry reported dismantling two alleged Mossad cells across six provinces and seizing weapons.

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