Iran has executed a 29-year-old aerospace engineering graduate who was convicted of allegedly passing classified information to the CIA and Israel’s Mossad, according to reports from Iranian state media.

Iran’s judiciary-affiliated Mizan news agency identified the man as Erfan Shakourzadeh and claimed he had been employed at a scientific institution connected to the country’s satellite and aerospace programs. Authorities accused him of transferring sensitive intelligence to foreign spy agencies.

Shakourzadeh, who studied at the Iran University of Science and Technology in Tehran, was arrested in February 2025 on charges of espionage and alleged collaboration with hostile foreign governments.

Human rights organizations strongly challenged the legitimacy of the case and accused Iranian authorities of extracting a confession through abuse and coercion. The Iran Human Rights Society stated that Shakourzadeh’s admissions were forced, while the Norway-based rights group Hengaw alleged that he spent nine months in solitary confinement undergoing severe physical and psychological torture.

According to Hengaw, Shakourzadeh maintained his innocence before his execution and wrote that he had been “arrested on fabricated espionage charges.”

The execution took place amid escalating tensions between Tehran and Washington over the ongoing conflict and stalled diplomatic negotiations.

On Sunday, Iran formally rejected an American proposal intended to end the war, with Iranian media portraying the offer as “Tehran’s submission to Trump’s excessive demands.”

Iranian leaders have continued refusing demands to relinquish enriched uranium stockpiles, while President Donald Trump dismissed Tehran’s latest response as “totally unacceptable.”

The collapse in negotiations contributed to rising oil prices and renewed declines in stock markets as fears of further regional escalation intensified.

{Matzav.com}