An Iranian accused of spying for U.S. and Israeli intelligence was executed on Monday, according to Iran's official IRIB news agency.
Last month, the judiciary said Mahmoud Mousavi-Majd, who was arrested in 2018, had spied on former Revolutionary Guard commander Qassem Soleimani, adding however that the case was not connected to Soleimani's killing earlier this year.
The country's judiciary had said in June that Majd was "linked to the CIA and the Mossad," the Israeli intelligence agency, and alleged that Majd shared security information on the Guard and its expeditionary unit, called the Quds, or Jerusalem Force, which Qassem Soleimani commanded.
On Jan. 3, a U.S. drone strike in Iraq killed Soleimani, leader of the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force. Washington had accused Soleimani of masterminding attacks by Iran-aligned militias on U.S. forces in the region.
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Iranian mourners gather around a vehicle carrying the coffin of slain top general Qasem Soleimani
(Photo: AFP)
The execution comes at a time when millions of Iranians have taken to social media to protest against the death sentences awarded to three men accused of participating in anti-government protests last November.
Their executions have been suspended, one of their attorneys, Babak Paknia, said on Sunday. Rights activists said the sentences for the three men were aimed at intimidating future protesters.
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Iranian civilians protesting against the rising gas prices in Tehran, 2019
(Photo: AFP)
Witnesses said security forces fired tear gas last Thursday to disperse demonstrators in the southwestern city of Behbahan who were protesting against economic problems but also the death sentences against the three men.
The Farsi hashtag "Don't execute" was tweeted millions of times last week.