Iran executes man accused of spying for Israel

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran executed a man accused of spying for Israel, the Iranian judiciary's media outlet Mizan reported on Wednesday, naming the defendant as Ali Ardestani.

Entangled in a decades-long shadow war with Israel, Iran has executed many people it has accused of having links with Israel's intelligence service and facilitating its operations in the country.

"The death sentence of Ali Ardestani for the crime of espionage in favour of the Mossad intelligence service by providing the country's sensitive information was carried out after approval by the Supreme Court and through legal procedures," Mizan said.

Executions of Iranians convicted of spying for Israel have significantly increased this year, following a direct confrontation between the two regional enemies in June, when Israeli and US forces struck Iran's nuclear facilities.

Earlier, Iranian security forces fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators at the Tehran bazaar as an NGO said more than two dozen people had been killed in a crackdown on the most significant protests to hit the Islamic republic in three years.

The protests were triggered by anger over the rising cost of living, with the Iranian rial losing value to reach another record low against foreign currencies.

Security forces have now killed at least 27 protesters, including five minors under the age of 18, the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) said.

It is the most serious protest movement in Islamic republic since the 2022-2023 nationwide rallies sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the strict dress code for women.