Iran executes man convicted of spying for CIA, Mossad

Iran executed a former translator who had been accused of spying for US and the Israeli Mossad on Monday.

"Mahmoud Mousavi Majd's sentence was carried out on Monday morning over the charge of espionage so that the case of his betrayal to his country will be closed forever," the judiciary's Mizan Online website reported.

Mahmoud Mousavi Majd, who was initially arrested in 2018, had spied on former Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleimani, judiciary spokeswoman Gholamhossein Ismaili told a news conference earlier this month.

Soleimani headed the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, which deals with foreign operations. He was killed in January in a US drone strike near Baghdad airport.

Majd, an Iranian, was not a member of the Revolutionary Guards "but infiltrated many sensitive areas under the cover of being a translator," the judiciary site said. 

Read more: Iran sentences alleged CIA spy to death

He had been found guilty of receiving large sums of money from both the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Israel's Mossad, said Ismaili.

Majd had migrated to Syria in the 1970s with his family and worked as an English and Arabic language translator at a company, wrote Mizan. "His knowledge of Arabic and familiarity with Syria's geography made him close to Iranian military advisers and he took responsibilities in groups stationed from Idlib to Latakia," it added.

A history of executions

Iran said last week it had executed another man convicted of spying for the CIA by selling information about Iran's missile program. Reza Asgari had worked at the Defense Ministry's aerospace division but retired four years ago, after which he sold "information he had regarding our missiles" to the CIA in exchange for large sums of money, Iran's judiciary said. 

Read more: Iran executes 'defense contractor' over spying for the CIA

Additionally, Iran announced in December it had arrested eight people "linked to the CIA" and involved in nationwide street protests that were spurred by an increase in the price of fuel.

The execution of Majd comes at a time when millions of Iranians have taken to social media, using the hashtag #Don'tExecute and #StopExecutionsinIran to protest the death sentences handed to three men accused of participating in the November 2019 protests. Their executions were reportedly suspended.

lc/rc (AFP, AP)