A revolutionary court in northwestern Iran has handed down death sentences to four individuals charged with espionage on behalf of Israel, according to a report by the semi-official Fars news agency on Wednesday.
Fars stated that three of the defendants, whose nationalities were not disclosed, were accused of aiding Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, in transporting equipment involved in the 2020 assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.
Fakhrizadeh was regarded by Western intelligence agencies as the key figure behind a secret Iranian program aimed at developing nuclear weapons. However, the Iranian government has consistently denied such allegations.
In February 2021, The Jewish Chronicle reported, based on intelligence sources, that Fakhrizadeh was killed using a one-ton gun that was smuggled into Iran in pieces by Mossad agents, who included both Israeli and Iranian nationals.
Israel did not comment at the time of Fakhrizadeh’s death, and on Wednesday, an Israeli government spokesperson reiterated the country’s position in response to the Fars report, stating, “We never comment on such matters. There has been no change in our position.”
Fars also noted that the fourth individual sentenced to death was involved in a separate, undisclosed espionage case.
{Matzav.com}