Iran Executes Nuclear Engineer Accused of Spying for Israel Amid Expanding Crackdown
Hussain Hazbavi 
An Iranian nuclear engineer employed at the Natanz nuclear facilities was executed last week in Qom after being convicted of espionage for Israel, according to the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.
Hengaw identified the individual as Javad Naeimi, a resident of Qom and a specialist assigned to the Natanz enrichment complex. The group stated that he was hanged at dawn on October 18 inside Qom Central Prison “under conditions of total secrecy,” with no prior public disclosure by authorities.
Earlier reports by Iranian state media confirmed the execution of an unnamed prisoner convicted of spying for Israel, although no details were provided at the time. Iranian judicial officials have not issued any clarification following Hengaw’s announcement.
The rights organization reported that Naeimi was detained by security forces in February 2024 and was subsequently sentenced to death following what it described as an opaque and highly accelerated judicial process. It alleged that Naeimi was tortured during interrogation and coerced into issuing confessions, noting a pattern frequently observed in espionage cases pursued by Iranian intelligence agencies.
Judiciary-linked outlet Mizan News Agency had previously stated that the executed detainee had “admitted to communicating with Israeli intelligence for personal and professional reasons,” though it offered no substantiating evidence.
Hengaw further reported that Naeimi’s burial took place under strict security measures at Qom’s Behesht-e Masoumeh cemetery on October 21, and that his family had been warned against discussing the case publicly.
The execution follows an intensified crackdown on individuals accused of links to Israeli intelligence following Israel’s June attacks on nuclear-related sites within Iran. In August, authorities executed another nuclear specialist, Rouzbeh Vadi, on similar charges. Several additional executions on espionage allegations were carried out in September and October.
