Iran hanged Bahman Choobiasl, a 52-year-old engineer, on September 29, 2025, accusing him of leaking missile and nuclear secrets to Israel's Mossad, marking the 10th espionage execution since June's Iran-Israel conflict.
Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, condemned the execution as a sham, citing no public evidence, a closed trial, and Iran's history of coerced confessions, suggesting the case masks political repression.
The execution, timed with new UN sanctions on Iran's nuclear program, signals defiance to the West, risks derailing nuclear talks, and fuels domestic unrest amid economic strife and ongoing shadow war with Israel.
Iranian authorities executed Bahman Choobiasl by hanging on Monday, labeling him one of the most critical spies in Israel's Mossad network amid a surge in state-sanctioned killings following renewed UN sanctions on Tehran's nuclear program. The 52-year-old engineer, whose case flew under the radar until state media's abrupt announcement, was accused of leaking classified details on Iran's missile defense systems and nuclear enrichment facilities to Israeli handlers in exchange for millions in cryptocurrency payments.
According to Iran's judiciary outlet Mizan, Choobiasl's execution at Evin Prison was approved by the Supreme Court after a closed-door trial. "This traitor met Mossad operatives in Istanbul and Vienna multiple times, providing intelligence that directly aided Zionist aggression against our sacred defense," the report stated, linking his activities to the June 2025 air war where Israeli strikes devastated Iranian military sites, killing over 1,100. Officials claimed Choobiasl, employed at a state-owned petrochemical firm with access to sensitive tech blueprints, had been active since 2021, coordinating with a ring that included executed spy Babak Shahbazi from earlier this month.
The hanging marks the 10th espionage-related execution since the June ceasefire, part of what human rights monitors call Iran's deadliest crackdown in years. With over 1,000 executions tallied in 2025 alone by groups like Iran Human Rights (IHR), the wave has intensified post-UN sanctions reimposed over the weekend for Iran's uranium enrichment breaches.
Iranian state TV broadcast grainy footage of Choobiasl's "confession," where he allegedly detailed smuggling microchips for Israeli drones. YeThe Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran noted that Choobiasl's family was denied access during his 14-month detention, and no public evidence—such as handler identities or transaction logs—has surfaced.
"This isn't about spies; it's about silencing threats to the regime at a moment of vulnerability," said Hadi Ghaemi, as cited by Economic times, executive director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran. The execution timing, just days after the UN Security Council's vote, suggests a defiant message to the West: Tehran will not bend. Critics link it to broader repression, including arrests of journalists and women's rights protesters marking the third anniversary of Mahsa Amini's 2022 death in custody.
