On Monday, September 29, 2025, Iranian authorities executed Bahman Choobiasl, whom they described as "one of the most important spies for Israel in Iran." This marks the tenth such execution since the dramatic 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel in June, and it underscores the escalating shadow war between the two regional adversaries. According to Iran’s judiciary news outlet Mizan, Choobiasl was hanged after being convicted of espionage, specifically for his alleged cooperation with Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency.
The details of Choobiasl’s case, shrouded in secrecy until the day of his execution, paint a picture of a high-stakes intelligence battle. Iranian officials claim that Choobiasl worked on "sensitive telecommunications projects" and reported on the "paths of importing electronic devices"—activities they say were designed to help Mossad breach Iranian governmental databases and data centers. Mizan reported, “The main goal of Mossad in attracting the defendant’s cooperation was to obtain the database of governmental institutions and create a breach in Iranian data centres, along with which it also pursued other secondary goals, including investigating the route of importing electronic equipment.”
Choobiasl’s appeal to the Supreme Court was rejected, and his death sentence was confirmed on charges of "corruption on earth," a severe crime under Iran’s interpretation of Quranic law. The execution comes at a time when Iran has significantly increased the pace of executions, particularly for alleged espionage, following both internal unrest and heightened external threats. Human rights organizations, including the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights and the Washington-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran, estimate that over 1,000 people have been executed in Iran in 2025 alone—a number that could be even higher, given the lack of transparency in official reporting.
The surge in executions is closely linked to the tumultuous events of the past few months. The June 2025 conflict between Iran and Israel, which also drew in the United States, saw Israel launch a series of airstrikes targeting Iranian generals, nuclear scientists, and civilian areas. Amnesty International reported that these attacks killed at least 1,100 people. Iran retaliated with missile and drone barrages, and the United States conducted strikes on Iranian nuclear sites on Israel’s behalf. In the aftermath, Tehran has intensified efforts to root out what it sees as Mossad networks and collaborators within its borders.
Earlier this month, Iran executed Babak Shahbazi on similar charges of spying for Israel. However, activists and human rights groups dispute the legitimacy of the confession that led to Shahbazi’s execution, claiming he was tortured after writing a letter to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, offering to fight for Kyiv. This case, like others, has raised serious concerns about due process and the use of torture to extract confessions in Iran’s closed-door trials.
Iran’s wave of executions is not occurring in a vacuum. The country has been rocked by multiple nationwide protests in recent years, fueled by economic hardship, demands for women’s rights, and calls for sweeping political change. Observers note that the escalation in capital punishment is, at least in part, a response to these pressures, as well as a means to project strength and deter dissent. The current pace of executions is the highest since 1988, when Iran executed thousands of political prisoners at the end of the Iran-Iraq war.
The international context surrounding Choobiasl’s execution is equally fraught. Just days before the hanging, the United Nations reimposed sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, after European signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal invoked the “snapback” mechanism. The European Union followed suit, further isolating Tehran. In response, Iranian officials vowed to confront their enemies and have since doubled down on what they describe as counter-espionage operations.
Independent human rights experts at the United Nations have condemned Iran’s execution spree. In a joint statement, they said, “The sheer scale of executions in Iran is staggering and represents a grave violation of the right to life. With an average of more than nine hangings per day in recent weeks, Iran appears to be conducting executions at an industrial scale that defies all accepted standards of human rights protection.”
Meanwhile, the espionage war between Iran and Israel has intensified on both sides. According to reporting from Haaretz, Iranian authorities have detained dozens of individuals suspected of passing intelligence to Israel, including a reported roundup of 22 people. In August, Iran executed Rouzbeh Vadi, accused of relaying information to Israel about an Iranian nuclear scientist killed during June’s airstrikes. Vadi allegedly met Mossad officers five times in Vienna.
Israel, for its part, has uncovered more than 20 suspected Iranian spy networks on its soil since October 2023. Those arrested include soldiers, dual nationals, Iranian immigrants, and civilian couples. One high-profile case involved Yaakov Perl, a Moroccan resident and American-Israeli citizen accused of communicating with Iranian officials via Telegram and documenting the homes and security arrangements of senior Israeli officials. Israeli authorities have also charged an Iranian-born Israeli with transmitting information during the June war, including details about Israeli strikes and drone flight paths.
Investigations reveal that Iranian intelligence often recruits Israelis through social media and messaging apps, using a combination of financial incentives, cryptocurrency payments, and ideological appeals. Many recruits are said to be motivated by financial distress or social marginalization, with Tehran specifically targeting vulnerable populations such as ultra-Orthodox communities and recent immigrants from Iran and Azerbaijan.
This cycle of espionage, counter-espionage, arrests, and executions reflects the ongoing intensity and human cost of the Iran-Israel intelligence conflict. The June 2025 escalation, with Mossad commandos striking targets inside Iran and retaliatory missile barrages by Tehran, has only heightened the stakes. Both countries are now locked in a perilous game of cat and mouse, with civilians and alleged spies often caught in the crossfire.
For ordinary Iranians, the ramifications are profound. Amid deepening economic pressure, renewed war fears, and a government determined to project strength, the space for dissent is shrinking. The latest round of UN sanctions only adds to the uncertainty, raising questions about how far Tehran will go in its efforts to deter both internal and external threats.
As the executions mount and the intelligence war rages on, the situation remains volatile and deeply troubling for those watching from both inside and outside Iran.
