• Iran executed Aghil Keshavarz for allegedly spying for Israel's Mossad.
• Keshavarz's execution is part of a broader crackdown on perceived espionage activities.
• The 27-year-old architecture student was arrested in Urmia for photographing military sites.
• This execution marks at least the tenth since the June conflict between Israel and Iran.
• Human rights groups claim confessions are often extracted under torture.

Iran has executed Aghil Keshavarz, a 27-year-old architecture student, for allegedly spying for the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, as reported by state media on Saturday. Keshavarz was accused of taking photographs of military and security areas in Iran, with judicial authorities asserting that he had completed over 200 missions for Mossad across various cities. His death sentence was upheld by Iran's Supreme Court, following allegations that he "knowingly cooperated" with Israeli services to harm the Islamic Republic, according to South China Morning Post and Al Jazeera.

The execution of Keshavarz adds to a growing list of individuals put to death for espionage since a 12-day conflict in June 2025 between Iran and Israel, during which Iran retaliated for Israeli strikes that killed many, including military commanders. By September alone, at least ten individuals had been executed, highlighting a marked increase in Iran's aggressive stance against alleged collaborators since the conflict. This shift includes severe penalties for espionage, now punishable by death under renewed legislation following the June events, according to India Times and Al Jazeera.

The Oslo-based Iran Human Rights group claimed that the confession leading to Keshavarz's execution was "extracted under torture," a common assertion against Iran's judicial practices, particularly concerning espionage cases. Human rights advocates have raised concerns about the lack of fair trials and the opaque nature of proceedings against those accused of espionage. These allegations point to an ongoing pattern of Iran strictly regulating information about alleged spies and conducting closed-door trials with limited access to evidence for defendants, as noted by South China Morning Post and India Times.