Iran has executed Mohsen Langarneshin, a 36-year-old former IT consultant, after convicting him of working with Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency in the 2022 killing of a senior officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Langarneshin was hanged early Wednesday morning at Ghezel Hesar prison. Iran’s judiciary described him as a “senior spy” who gave Mossad technical and logistical help between 2020 and 2023. He was arrested in July 2023.
Officials said Langarneshin helped plan the May 2022 assassination of IRGC Colonel Hassan Sayyad Khodaei, who was shot outside his home in Tehran by motorcycle-riding gunmen.
Iran claimed Langarneshin met Mossad officers in Georgia and Nepal and received espionage training. The judiciary said he admitted his role in the death of Khodaei, though human rights groups and his family said those confessions were forced.
Langarneshin’s family said he was innocent and never had a fair trial. His mother made a last-minute public plea on social media the night before the execution, asking for his life to be spared.
Iran has executed at least 335 people in 2025 so far, according to human rights groups. More than 900 people were executed in 2024. Several of those were accused of spying for Israel.
This is not the first time Iran has executed someone for alleged Mossad ties. A man was hanged in December 2023 on similar charges. Four others were executed in 2022.
Meanwhile, Israel this week sentenced a 72-year-old man to 10 years in prison for plotting with Iranian agents to kill Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
