Iran Executes Six, Arrests 700 in Espionage Crackdown Amid War With Israel

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared victory in Iran’s war against Israel

Iranian authorities have executed six individuals and detained over 700 others in a sweeping nationwide crackdown on alleged espionage during the country’s recent 12-day war with Israel, officials and human rights organizations confirmed.

The crackdown follows Israeli airstrikes on key elements of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, which Tehran says exposed deep infiltration by Israeli intelligence services. In response, Iranian security forces launched widespread arrests targeting residents suspected of collaborating with Israel. Trials were reportedly fast-tracked, with six people executed within days of their arrests, according to the Center for Human Rights in Iran.

Iran conducted mass sweeps for alleged spies during the 12-day war with Israel that saw dozens of Iranian scientists and military commanders killed

More than 700 people were detained across at least five provinces, with many of them unaware of the specific charges, human rights groups reported. Iran’s judiciary spokesman, Asghar Jahangir, said authorities will soon disclose official arrest figures and the nature of the charges. He claimed a large number of those arrested were accused of “spying for the Zionist regime,” a reference to Israel.

Iran’s parliament has introduced an emergency bill to impose harsher penalties—including capital punishment—for espionage and collaboration with foreign governments. Jahangir also confirmed that the judiciary is expanding its monitoring of digital communications, targeting social media accounts allegedly sympathetic to Israel or critical of the Iranian regime.

The strikes saw Tehran come under direct attack from Israel, with police going after residents who posted about the airstrikes on social media

Reports from the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) indicate that nearly 300 of the arrests were related to online activity, including social media posts about the Israeli bombardments. Amnesty International has condemned the actions, noting that at least one execution was carried out just three days after the conflict began on June 13.

“Official calls for expedited trials and executions of those arrested for alleged collaboration with Israel show how the Iranian authorities weaponize the death penalty to assert control and instill fear among the people of Iran,” Amnesty said in a statement.

The group emphasized that detainees must be protected from enforced disappearance, torture, and other abuses, and that fair trial rights must be upheld even during wartime.

Iranians said they’re falling in line with Tehran’s strict demands as they fear being targeted as spies for Israel

The crackdown has created widespread fear and a chilling effect across Iranian society. Citizens have begun altering their clothing and behavior in public to avoid being profiled by authorities. A 26-year-old Tehran resident expressed concern about the escalation of repression: “As long as this government exists, I am concerned about the chances of increased repression, but during times when there’s an ‘external threat,’ the repression gets much worse.”

An activist named Zahra, 41, reported that at least four of her colleagues were arrested during the sweeps and warned that additional arrests were likely as authorities seek to tighten control.

Iran has a long history of repressing dissent through arrests and executions, with crackdowns dating back to the Islamic Republic’s founding in 1979. In 2022, the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody, after being arrested for allegedly violating the country’s hijab law, sparked nationwide protests that were met with force.