TEHRAN: Iranian authorities on Saturday executed six individuals accused of collaborating with Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, and another linked to the killing of a senior cleric, according to Iranian state media.
The executions were carried out in the early hours in Ahvaz, capital of the restive Khuzestan Province. Iran’s judiciary said the men were involved in a string of deadly operations including assassinations, bombings, and armed assaults targeting security personnel and clerics.
The Iranian state news agency claimed the group had received both financial and logistical backing from “foreign actors hostile to the Islamic Republic,” describing them as part of a terrorist network “affiliated with the Zionist regime.”
Authorities allege the group sought to destabilize Khuzestan, a province marked by ethnic tensions and frequent unrest. The suspects were said to have taken part in coordinated attacks on police stations, military centers, and religious sites.
Among those killed in these attacks were several prominent figures, including Allah-Nazar Safari, Mohammad Reza Rafiei-Nasab, Ali Salehi-Majd, and Younes Bahr.
The judiciary’s statement detailed the group’s purported confessions, including admissions of bombing a gas station in Khorramshahr, launching grenade attacks on military facilities, setting off explosives, and opening fire on mosques and banks.
The men were portrayed in Iranian media as operatives recruited by Mossad to foment armed rebellion in Khuzestan. The province, home to a sizable Arab minority, has long been a flashpoint for anti-government sentiment and protests.
While Iranian officials framed the executions as a blow to foreign-backed terrorism, the move is likely to draw international scrutiny over due process and transparency in Iran’s handling of security-related cases.
