Iran Executes Alleged Mossad Collaborators as Regime Cracks Down After Ceasefire

by Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff

(Worthy News) – Iran executed three men on Wednesday accused of collaborating with Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, part of a sweeping crackdown following the Islamic Republic’s military defeat in its 12-day war with Israel.

The executions — carried out in the northwestern city of Urmia — were announced by the judiciary’s Mizan news agency, which identified the men as Idris Ali, Azad Shojai, and Rasoul Ahmad Rasoul. According to Mizan, they had smuggled equipment used in the assassination of an unnamed individual. Photos of the condemned men in blue prison uniforms were circulated by state media.

Iran’s judiciary said the men had been “arrested and tried for cooperation favoring the Zionist regime” and that the death sentences were carried out on Wednesday morning by hanging. The regime has a long history of sentencing alleged spies to death in expedited, opaque trials — a trend sharply accelerated during the recent conflict with Israel.

The executions are the latest in a brutal postwar purge. Since Israel launched its preemptive strike on June 13 targeting Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure, over 700 individuals have been arrested for alleged collaboration with Israel, according to Iran’s semi-official Nournews. The Fars news agency reported that Israel’s spy network was “highly active” during the war, leading to mass detentions.

Israel’s 12-day military campaign — conducted in parallel with U.S. airstrikes — decimated key Iranian assets, including uranium enrichment facilities, IRGC command centers, ballistic missile depots, and even the headquarters of Iran’s state-run broadcaster. According to Israeli officials, at least 14 nuclear scientists were assassinated and dozens of senior military leaders killed.

Iran responded by launching more than 550 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones at Israel. The attacks killed 28 and injured thousands, striking apartment buildings, a university, and a hospital. The U.S. military responded by striking Iranian nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordo, and Isfahan.

Inside Iran: Fear, Repression, and Confusion

Exiled Iranian opposition leader Ashkan Rostami described a nation on edge. In an interview Tuesday, he said, “Some people are happy the war is over. Others are disappointed–they saw this as a chance to topple the regime. Most are simply confused.”

Rostami, who represents the Constitutionalist Party of Iran, warned that the regime’s fury is now turning inward. “People are afraid. The regime lost much of its infrastructure and leadership, and now it’s going to crack down harder than ever,” he said.

He claimed that during the war, Iran’s morality police headquarters in Tehran — the same building linked to the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini — was destroyed in an Israeli strike. “That gave people hope. But now the regime is preparing mass graves and threatening mass executions.”

The internet has been largely cut off in many cities, making coordination among opposition groups nearly impossible. Rostami reported that minor boys were being seen with assault rifles at checkpoints, part of a growing security presence aimed at suppressing dissent.

According to Rostami, nearly 30 political prisoners were executed during the war, with the regime using vague espionage charges as cover. “Now they’re talking about making executions easier–just streamlining the laws so they can kill whoever they want.”

He also hinted at internal betrayal within the regime. “Israel couldn’t have pulled off these strikes without help from inside. Someone within the Revolutionary Guards or security services is working with them.”

Despite widespread anti-regime sentiment, the fractured nature of the opposition remains a major challenge. “From Marxists to monarchists, the opposition is deeply divided,” Rostami said. “But 70 to 80 percent of Iranians want the Islamic Republic gone.”

He also acknowledged the limits of civil resistance. “Ordinary Iranians aren’t armed. A peaceful revolution is hard to imagine without outside help,” he said, floating the possibility of the IDF or others helping opposition forces on the ground. Still, he admitted, “Right now, there aren’t any organized armed groups inside Iran.”

Rostami cast doubt on the durability of the ceasefire. “I don’t think it will hold,” he said. “There’s a power struggle inside the regime. Some want to preserve what’s left. Others want to escalate the war and continue the nuclear program.”

Yet despite the chaos, he believes hope remains. “There’s still a window. But if the opposition doesn’t act now — united and fast — we’ll miss our chance.”

Iran, which Amnesty International identifies as the world’s second-largest executioner after China, has continued to use fear as a tool to maintain control. With tensions still simmering and the threat of renewed conflict looming, the postwar period may prove just as dangerous as the war itself — especially for those caught in the crosshairs of a wounded regime desperate to retain power.

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