Iran has executed two men convicted of espionage, according to the judiciary news outlet — Mizan News Agency, on Monday.
The executions were carried out at dawn, the report said, following sentences issued by a revolutionary court in the city of Karaj, near the capital Tehran.
Iranian authorities accused the two men of spying for Israel’s foreign intelligence service, the Mossad. However, details surrounding their arrest and the timing of the verdicts were not immediately disclosed.
The development comes amid sustained criticism from human rights organisations over Iran’s use of capital punishment, with allegations that executions are employed as a means of intimidation.
According to the Norway-based group Iran Human Rights, at least 1,639 people were executed in Iran last year, marking the highest number recorded in 35 years.
