Overview
- State media said Ardestani confessed to sharing images and footage of sensitive sites with Mossad, received cryptocurrency payments, and expected a $1 million reward and a UK visa.
- IRNA reported that he was recruited online and described him as a special operative, but provided no details on when or where he was detained.
- The judiciary said the death sentence was upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court following what officials called standard legal procedures.
- Iran Human Rights said 12 people have been executed on spying-for-Israel charges since the June conflict, calling this the first publicly announced Mossad-related execution since protests began on December 28.
- Tehran portrays the executions as a response to Israeli sabotage and assassinations, while coverage noted a recent message from a Mossad Persian-language X account urging Iranians to continue protests.