Iran Hangs Postgraduate Student Erfan Shakourzadeh on Espionage Charges

Iranian authorities hanged a 29-year-old postgraduate student from an elite Tehran university on Monday for espionage, the latest execution amid the war against the United States and Israel.

Erfan Shakourzadeh was executed after conviction for collaborating with the CIA and Israel's Mossad, according to the judiciary's Mizan Online website.

Norway-based rights groups Iran Human Rights and Hengaw identified him as a student at Iran University of Science and Technology. They said he left a message before his execution rejecting the charges as fabricated.

Iran Human Rights called him an elite student held in solitary confinement, where he faced torture and gave forced confessions.

Hengaw published his prison note: "I was arrested on fabricated espionage charges and, after eight and a half months of torture and solitary confinement, was forced into a false confession. Do not let another innocent life be taken in silence."

Shakourzadeh is the fifth person executed on espionage charges since the war began in late February.

Authorities have executed 13 men charged over January protests, one more over 2022 demonstrations, and 10 accused of links to banned opposition groups since then, Iran Human Rights said.

Rights groups accuse Iran of using capital punishment to spread fear during international and domestic tension.

Hengaw said Shakourzadeh, arrested in February 2025, was executed at dawn in Ghezel Hesar prison outside Tehran after a sudden transfer from Evin prison earlier this month.

After earning a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Tabriz, he ranked high among master's students in aerospace engineering at Iran University of Science and Technology, Hengaw reported. He endured nine months of severe physical and psychological torture in solitary confinement to extract confessions.

Mizan said Shakourzadeh worked on satellite technology and supplied foreign agencies with details on his workplace, access level, duties, and other sensitive information. His confessions will air on state television Monday evening.

In the message from Hengaw and Iran Human Rights, Shakourzadeh called the accusations baseless and said torture forced his confessions. "Do not let another innocent life be lost in silence and without public attention," he said.

Earlier this month, authorities executed a man for a murder during 2022-2023 protests after Mahsa Amini's death.

In March, Iran hanged three men accused of killing police during the protests, including Saleh Mohammadi, a young national wrestling team member.

Iran trails only China in executions worldwide, rights groups say. Iran Human Rights and Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty reported at least 1,639 executions in 2025, including 48 women.

Iran Human Rights has recorded at least 190 executions in 2026 so far.

Iran ramped up executions after January protests. Activist groups say closed-door trials prevent full defense. The judiciary chief has said Tehran will speed up hangings against domestic and foreign enemies.