Full Breakdown
Iran Executes Aerospace Engineer Erfan Shakourzadeh on Espionage Charges
5/11/2026, 9:29:15 PM
Execution of Erfan Shakourzadeh
On Monday, 11 May 2026, Iran hanged 29-year-old aerospace engineer Erfan Shakourzadeh. The judiciary’s Mizan news agency said he was convicted of passing classified satellite-technology data to the U.S. CIA and Israel’s Mossad. The hanging took place at Qezel Hesar prison in Karaj. No trial record or evidence was released.
Conflict Context and Execution Wave
The hanging came amid the war that began in late February 2026 between Iran, the United States and Israel, with a fragile cease-fire in place since 8 April 2026. Since the conflict’s start, Iran has accelerated executions, especially for alleged espionage, raising the weekly tally to nearly 30, including five espionage cases.
Key Actors and Organizations
- Erfan Shakourzadeh – aerospace engineer, graduate of Iran University of Science and Technology.
- Mizan News Agency – judiciary’s official news outlet.
- Tasnim News Agency – semi-official state news service.
- IRGC intelligence – arrested Shakourzadeh in February 2025.
- Iran Human Rights Society – Norway-based rights group.
- HRANA – Human Rights Activists News Agency.
Data on Recent Executions
Iran Human Rights Society estimates at least 1,500 executions in 2025, the highest in decades. In the weeks after the February 2026 war, reports cite nearly 30 hangings, five of them for espionage.
Official Statements & Responses
Mizan said Shakourzadeh “was hanged for collaborating with the US intelligence service and the Mossad spy service.” Tasnim reported the defendant “attempted to contact enemy intelligence services in three stages, the first and third stages related to Mossad and the second to the CIA.” Iranian authorities have not released trial transcripts or evidence.
Criticism & Opposition
Iran Human Rights Society says Shakourzadeh’s confession was extracted after eight and a half months of torture and solitary confinement. HRANA condemns the expanded use of the death penalty, noting over 2,000 executions in 2025, the highest in more than three decades.
On-the-Ground Report
In a smuggled note, Shakourzadeh wrote: “I am Erfan Shakourzadeh, 29, one of the few elites who refused to emigrate. I was detained on trumped-up charges and forced to confess under duress.”
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources give only “Monday” for the execution date, without a specific day. The prison is named both Qezel Hesar and Ghezel Hesar. Reports of recent hangings vary between “nearly 30” and “around 30.” No public evidence or trial details have been released.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Erfan Shakourzadeh … was hanged for collaborating with the US intelligence service and the Mossad spy service,” — Mizan News Agency
- “The defendant attempted to contact enemy intelligence services in three stages, the first and third stages being related to the Mossad and the second stage being related to the CIA,” — Tasnim News Agency
- “I am Erfan Shakourzadeh, 29, one of the few so-called elites who refused to emigrate,” — Erfan Shakourzadeh, prison note
- “eight and a half months of torture and solitary confinement” — Iran Human Rights Society
