Iran has executed two more individuals on charges of 'spying for Israel,' continuing a new wave of executions despite international pressure to halt them. Iran's judiciary chief said authorities would show 'no leniency' in carrying out sentences.
According to Iranian media, Yaqoub Karimpour and Nasser Bakarzadeh were executed after being convicted of cooperation with Israel. Karimpour, 41 and a follower of the Yarsan religious minority, was arrested in June 2025 and reportedly denied access to a lawyer or family visits. Bakarzadeh, a Kurdish political prisoner, was arrested in December 2023 and sentenced to death by the Urmia Revolutionary Court.
Iran's judiciary claimed Karimpour cooperated with Mossad during the June 2025 war, transmitting sensitive national information. Bakarzadeh allegedly collected details on political and religious figures and the coordinates of key locations, including the Natanz area.
Human rights groups report at least 26 prisoners were executed in April 2026 alone, including 14 political prisoners and one woman. The UN human rights office has repeatedly voiced concern over the use of executions to spread fear.