Iran executes former atomic agency employee over Mossad espionage claims

Kathmandu. Iran executed Mehdi Farid on Wednesday on charges of spying for the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad. According to Mizan, the official news agency of the Iranian judiciary, Farid was a former employee of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.

It is alleged that he attempted to spread malware or viruses into the internal network of a sensitive defense-related institution under the direction of Mossad officials and provided external access to the system by repeatedly connecting USB devices. 

According to Mizan, Farid provided the Israeli side with classified information regarding the organizational structure, building locations, security status, and employee identities of the Iranian institution.

However, the documents related to that information and the name of the institution have been kept confidential. Human rights organizations have strongly criticized this execution. They have alleged that there was no transparent trial in Farid's case, he was not allowed to hire independent legal counsel, and he was forced to provide a confession.

Arrested in 2022 and held in Evin Prison, Farid was initially sentenced to 10 years in prison by the court. However, after the public prosecutor expressed dissatisfaction with the verdict and appealed, the sentence was changed to the death penalty.

Recently, there has been a significant increase in the rate of executions in Iran. According to human rights reports, Iran executed at least 1,639 people in 2025 alone, the highest number since 1989.

Compared to 2024, this number of executions shows an increase of 68 percent. Especially after the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran in June 2025, the pace of executions for alleged collusion with Mossad has intensified.