Published: 11:23, December 30, 2023 | Updated: 12:29, December 30, 2023
Iran executes 4 members of 'Israeli-linked sabotage team'
By Xinhua

A protester flashes a victory sign during an anti-Israel protest in front of the British Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Oct 18, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

TEHRAN – Iran on Friday executed four main members of an "Israeli-linked sabotage team" convicted of having committed "extensive actions against the country's security", the Mizan news agency of the Iranian judiciary reported.

The convicts, identified as three men – ringleader Vafa Hanareh, Aram Omri and Rahman Parhazou – and a woman named Nasim Namazi, were executed in the northwestern Iranian province of West Azerbaijan after undergoing legal procedures, according to the report.

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The convicts were reportedly “in direct contact with Israel's Mossad intelligence service through video calls”, and had perpetrated acts of sabotage in the provinces of West Azarbaijan, Tehran and Hormozgan.

The report said the individuals had received money from Israel in return for the missions they had carried out.

It added that they were part of a 10-member Israeli-linked group, whose main objective was to "identify Iranian intelligence agents who were foiling Israeli plots against Iran", according to the report.

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The arrest of other six members of the group was announced in October last year, with each receiving a 10-year jail sentence charged with being in contact with Israel to compromise Iran's security, said the report.