Iran executes 'high-ranking Mossad spy' over Israel ties

Tehran: Iran has executed a "high-ranking spy" of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, according to media reports.

The individual, identified as Mohsen Langarneshin, was found guilty of offering field and technical support for Mossad's operations in Iran. This included involvement in the assassination of Hassan Sayyad Khodaei, a member of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, in Tehran in May 2022, as reported by the Mizan news agency of the Iranian judiciary on Wednesday.

Langarneshin, who was executed on Wednesday morning, had provided Mossad with extensive "logistical, technical and operational support" over a two-year period starting in 2020, according to the judiciary via its official news agency, Mizan.

The judiciary further stated that the execution was carried out after the completion of all legal and judicial processes, as reported by the Xinhua news agency.

One of the primary allegations against Langarneshin was his role in the May 2022 assassination of an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) colonel, Hassan Sayyad Khodaei, who was fatally shot by two motorcyclists while returning home in Tehran.

The judiciary outlined several of Langarneshin's "criminal actions", including providing logistical, technical, and operational support for an attack on an industrial facility linked to the Iranian Defence Ministry in Isfahan province. He was also accused of acquiring communication devices for Mossad agents, purchasing vehicles and outfitting them with operational tools, transferring funds from Israeli officers to agents within Iran, and renting safe houses across various Iranian provinces.

According to Mizan, Langarneshin procured a motorcycle to monitor Khodaei's movements, shared the gathered intelligence with Mossad, and was present during the assassination.

Langarneshin was also accused of aiding an attack on an industrial facility in Isfahan, which is affiliated with Iran's Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics.

According to reports, he had confessed to all the "crimes" he was charged with. Iranian authorities cited "extensive intelligence and technical evidence" linking him to these operations, stating that he "fully confessed" to his involvement.

Iran, engaged in a long-standing shadow conflict with Israel, has executed numerous individuals over alleged ties to Mossad, particularly those accused of sabotage and assassination efforts targeting its nuclear program.

In December 2023, three men and a woman were executed for their alleged connections to Mossad.

Langarneshin's execution takes place amid renewed US-Iran nuclear negotiations, which Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused Israel of attempting to disrupt.

A fourth round of Oman-mediated talks between Washington and Tehran is set to take place on Saturday in Rome, according to Tehran.

(inputs from IANS)