Iran has executed a man accused of spying for Israel during the recent 12-day war between the two countries. According to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Rouzbeh Vadi had worked for one of Iran’s “important and sensitive organizations” and was found guilty of providing intelligence to the Mossad regarding Iranian nuclear scientists.
The information passed by Vadi allegedly enabled Israel to conduct targeted assassinations during its coordinated attacks on Iran in June. Over a dozen Iranian nuclear scientists were reportedly killed across the country during the conflict.
Vadi was said to have been recruited online and met Mossad agents five times in Vienna, Austria. He was hanged after Iran’s Supreme Court upheld a death sentence previously handed down by a lower court.
While many details of Vadi’s case are not public, it is believed he was part of a broader network uncovered in the aftermath of the war. Iranian intelligence services launched a sweeping crackdown on suspected Mossad collaborators, focusing on those accused of leaking information about Iran’s military installations and high-profile personnel targeted for assassination, as well as those who were launching drones from within the country.
Since the war, at least seven individuals have reportedly been executed for assisting Israel.
The Israeli strikes exposed deep vulnerabilities within Iran’s internal security apparatus. Iranian officials now believe Mossad has maintained operatives inside the country since at least 2010. On June 13, during the opening wave of strikes, several senior figures in Iran’s military hierarchy were killed. Just two days later, on June 15, President Massoud Pezeshkian narrowly survived an assassination attempt during a meeting of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) in an underground bunker in Tehran. Pezeshkian sustained a leg wound during the incident and managed to escape with other high-ranking officials through a secure tunnel.
Many of the Israeli strikes were carried out by drones launched from within Iranian territory, underscoring the extent of Israeli intelligence infiltration in the lead-up to the conflict.