Iran executes man convicted of spying for Israel's Mossad

Iran executes man convicted of spying for Israel's Mossad
Iran executes man convicted of spying for Israel's Mossad during wartime. / CC: Tasnim
By bnm Tehran bureau March 18, 2026

Iran executed Kourosh Keivani on March 18 after convicting him of espionage for Israel's Mossad intelligence service, including transmitting images and coordinates of sensitive sites during the conflict, IRGC-linked Tasnim reported.

The execution comes as Iran has intensified its internal security crackdown since the US-Israeli war began on February 28, with authorities arresting several people accused of collaborating with foreign intelligence services.

Dozens have been reportedly executed across the country for colluding with the enemy after several top officials have been killed in targeted strikes on their residences, including Ali Larijani on March 17 by an Israeli-US airstrike on his son's home.

Keivani was arrested on the fourth day of the June 2025 war by the IRGC's intelligence organisation at a villa in Savojbolagh, west of Tehran.

The court said the man was found with €30,000 in cash, a vehicle, a motorcycle and what authorities described as sophisticated satellite communications and espionage equipment.

According to the court file, Keivani was recruited online in 2023 after a Mossad officer identified him through a travel advertisement in Sweden.

The court claimed he was trained for over two years across six European countries, including Austria, Germany, France, Belgium, Denmark and Slovakia, before a final two-week training programme in Tel Aviv. Evidence was allegedly provided in court of his travel history.

It said he re-entered Iran in May 2025 with €100,000 concealed in a specially designed bag undetectable by X-ray scanners, the court documents said.

His missions included delivering cash to other Mossad operatives, photographing and filming sensitive locations and installing electronic surveillance equipment at sites specified by his handlers.

Authorities said the seized equipment was capable of disrupting missile launch systems and air defence radars, serving as a ground relay station for Israeli drones and establishing communication links with Israeli fighter jets operating over Iranian territory.

Keivani allegedly confessed during both the preliminary investigation and at trial, which was held at Tehran's hardline Revolutionary Court in the presence of his government-appointed lawyer. The Supreme Court upheld the death sentence.

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