Iran executes man accused of attacks in support of Israel

Iran on Wednesday said it had hanged a man convicted of carrying out “terrorist attacks” in support of Israel, as authorities step up executions linked to the Middle East war. The judiciary said Ali-Sina Mostafavi, “an armed terrorist and agent of the American-Zionist enemy during the war,” had been executed, according to a report by state media. It did not disclose the date of his arrest or trial. For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app. Iran has ramped up executions since war broke out with Israel and the United States in late February and since anti-government protests erupted late last year. Mostafavi was accused of several “armed terrorist attacks” in the southeastern city of Kerman that injured civilians, the judiciary said. He was also charged with “moharebeh,” a legal term meaning “waging war against God” that is one of Iran’s most serious offences, punishable by death. The defendant had been communicating with “hostile media affiliated with the Zionist regime,” the judiciary said. He was also accused of maintaining contact with Iran’s exiled monarchist movement, whose leading figure is Reza Pahlavi. Pahlavi is the son of Iran’s last shah deposed in 1979 during the Islamic revolution. He lives in exile in the United States and regularly calls for the overthrow of the government. In late February the United States and Israel launched a joint attack against Iran, triggering the war in the Middle East that has claimed thousands of lives. Since then, arrests and executions have multiplied in Iran, linked both to the conflict and to the bloody protests that broke out late last year. According to rights groups including Amnesty International, Iran executes more people each year than any country except China. Read more: Iran executes man accused of aiding US, Israel in anti-govt protests Advertisement Advertisement