IRAN, Jan 29: Iran executed four men on Monday, as confirmed by Iranian state media. The Supreme Court rejected appeals, leading to the enforcement of death sentences for individuals accused of involvement in an Israeli intelligence operation. The quartet was charged with planning a bomb attack on a factory in Isfahan, central Iran, allegedly ordered by Israel’s Mossad agency.

The convicted individuals were accused of illegally entering Iran from Iraq's northern Kurdish region to attack a factory producing equipment for the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics. The plot, scheduled for summer 2022, was reportedly thwarted by Iranian intelligence.

The Iranian judiciary’s website, Mizan Online, reported, "The death sentence of four members of a group affiliated with the Zionist spy organization… was carried out this morning." Tensions between Iran and Israel persist, exacerbated by disputes over Iran’s nuclear program and accusations of support for armed groups.

Iran has a high rate of executions, second only to China, according to Amnesty International. Typically, executions in Iran are carried out by hanging. In December, three men and one woman with alleged links to Mossad were executed. Last week, an Iranian man, Mohammed Ghobadlou, involved in antigovernment protests in 2022, was executed, drawing criticism for concerns about unfair trial proceedings and mental health issues.

The United Nations human rights agency expressed alarm at the reported unfair trial proceedings in Mr. Ghobadlou's case and noted an unprecedented rise in executions in Iran, with at least 834 people executed in 2023, including those associated with nationwide protests. UN experts urged the Iranian government to halt this surge in executions.

United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk previously described Iran's record on executions as "abominable," highlighting an average of more than 10 people hanged each week.