Iran (Washington Insider) - Iran executed Agil Keshavarz, a 27-year-old architecture student, after a Supreme Court conviction for spying for Israel and carrying out Mossad operations, amid rising Iran–Israel tensions.
As Nissan Tazur reported on 7Israel National News, Agil Keshavarz, a 27-year-old architecture student, was executed in Iran on Saturday, December 20, 2025, after being convicted of spying for Israel.
Iranian authorities have stepped up actions against people accused of spying for foreign countries. Human rights groups said trials like this are often closed to the public. They also said defendants have limited access to lawyers and confessions may be forced.
What led to Agil Keshavarz’s execution for alleged Mossad spying?
The judiciary's news agency in Iran, Mizan, announced,
"Agil Kashavarz was executed on Saturday morning, after the Supreme Court upheld his conviction on charges of espionage. Kashavarz was accused of carrying out more than 200 missions for Israeli intelligence services across Tehran, Isfahan, Urmia, and Shahroud. Kashavarz knowingly cooperated with Israeli services with the intention of harming the Islamic Republic of Iran."
Reports said the tasks allegedly assigned to Agil Kashavarz included photographing selected locations, observing traffic flow, and conducting public opinion surveys. Iranian authorities alleged that
"Kashavarz communicated with the Israeli Mossad and military elements via encrypted messaging platforms, and received payment in cryptocurrencies after completing the missions."
Officials said he was asked to gather detailed information about infrastructure, vehicle movements, and conditions at specific areas. Prosecutors described the work as part of an organised intelligence effort and said the information was transferred through secure communication methods to foreign handlers.
Human rights organisations strongly condemned the execution and raised allegations of torture.
"Kashavarz was sentenced to death on charges of spying for Israel based on confessions extracted under torture,"
said Iran Human Rights.
Kashavarz was tortured by the Iranian authorities to obtain a false confession, according to Iran Human Rights and the Kurdistan Human Rights Network. Kashavarz was held for one week in a Revolutionary Guards intelligence detention center in Urmia, where returned dehumanizing torture was inflicted on him during interrogations. All evidence of his alleged confession was coerced and derived from systematic intimidation, both physically and mentally.
Earlier this year, Agil Keshavarz was arrested in the northwestern Iranian city of Urmia. He had reportedly been photographing a military base when he was detained by Iranian military patrols. Iranian officials allege he is affiliated with the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency, and that his surveillance work included missions in Tehran, Isfahan, Urmia and Shahrood.
According to reports, investigators found encrypted and coded documents and other evidence linking Keshavarz to foreign intelligence. Keshavarz was put on trial in the Revolutionary Court and received the death sentence, which was upheld by the Iranian Supreme Court before execution.
Iran has a long history of executing people accused of spying for Israel and other countries. Trials are often secret, and defendants may have little or no access to lawyers. Human rights groups say confessions are sometimes forced under torture.
Notable cases include Majid Jamali Fashi, executed in 2012 for allegedly working with Mossad, and Shahram Amiri, who disappeared in 2010 and was later killed after being accused of spying for the U.S. Mohammad Reza Kolahi and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari were also convicted in secret trials for passing information to foreign agencies. Iranian authorities say such actions are needed for national security, but patterns of secretive trials, coerced confessions, and executions have continued for decades.