Iran carries out death penalty for an individual charged with espionage for Israel and another for plotting to carry out IS-related sabotage
In a shocking turn of events, Iran executed Rouzbeh Vadi, a prominent nuclear scientist, on August 6, 2025, at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj. Vadi, a Ph.D. holder in Nuclear Engineering specializing in reactor systems from Amirkabir University of Technology, was accused of spying for Israel's intelligence service, Mossad.
Vadi was deeply embedded in sensitive nuclear research at a key national institution at the time of his arrest. The Iranian judiciary accused him of providing classified information about one of the Iranian nuclear scientists killed during Israel's June 2025 airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
The execution followed Iran's Supreme Court's decision, after an appeal, and was part of a wider crackdown that has seen at least seven executions for espionage linked to the recent Iran-Israel conflict.
Vadi co-authored a research paper with Abdolhamid Minouhchehr, a nuclear scientist who was killed during the conflict, indicating his close professional connections with Iran’s nuclear research community.
The information provided by Vadi was about an Iranian nuclear scientist who was killed during Israel's June airstrikes. Vadi was reportedly recruited online and vetted by Mossad operatives using aliases such as "Alex" and assigned a handler called "Kevin." He had allegedly met Mossad officers five times in Vienna, Austria.
It was not immediately clear if Vadi spoke under duress in a brief video purporting to show his alleged confession, which was broadcast by state TV. Vadi was also reported to have been working with unnamed but "important and sensitive agencies" in Iran.
On the same day, Iran executed Mehdi Asgharzadeh, a member of the militant Islamic State group, convicted of plotting sabotage. The reports did not specify if Asgharzadeh's execution was directly related to the 12-day war on Iran mentioned in the article.
The execution of Rouzbeh Vadi has sparked fears from activists of a wave of executions, as Iran has hanged seven people for espionage during the conflict with Israel. Vadi, a senior nuclear safety assessment expert at Iran Nuclear Regulatory Authority, was a well-educated and deeply embedded nuclear scientist, making his execution a significant development in the ongoing tensions between Iran and Israel.
- General-news outlets are reporting that a video purportedly containing an alleged confession from Rouzbeh Vadi, a nuclear scientist executed in Iran, has been broadcast by state TV.
- The execution of Vadi, who was a senior nuclear safety assessment expert at Iran Nuclear Regulatory Authority, has raised concerns among activists about a potential wave of executions related to war-and-conflicts with Israel.
- Aside from Vadi's execution, crime-and-justice news also reports that Iran executed Mehdi Asgharzadeh, a member of the militant Islamic State group, for plotting sabotage on the same day.
