The Islamic Republic of Iran on Wednesday morning executed a nuclear scientist accused of cooperating with the Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, Iranian media reported.
According to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Rouzbeh Vadi, a nuclear scientist, was arrested and tried on charges of espionage and intelligence cooperation “in favor of the Zionist regime,” and after trial and issuance of the verdict by the Supreme Court, was hanged on Wednesday morning on Aug. 6.
The IRNA said that case documents and Vadi’s confessions indicate he was fully aware that he was cooperating with the Mossad.
The news agency stated that Vadi was employed “in one of the important and sensitive organizations in the country,” and, given his level of access to information, was considered an attractive target for Mossad recruitment.
The report claimed that Vadi was recruited by Mossad through social media after participating in various assessments by Mossad handlers. IRNA also stated that Vadi’s original recruiter passed him along to another agent, who was responsible for instructing him on how to gather and share information. This included using a separate phone and laptop for contact with the Mossad and training him in secure communication methods.
The report stated that, at Vadi’s request, he was paid a fixed monthly amount in cryptocurrency – deposited into a digital wallet – instead of receiving payments based on individual assignments.
After receiving technical training in the installation and use of secure communication systems, Vadi was instructed by his Mossad handler on how to extract and transmit sensitive classified information.
After Vadi transmitted some information, the Mossad allegedly instructed him to travel to Vienna, Austria, where he met with its agents on five occasions, according to the IRNA report. The location was chosen because Vadi had previously traveled to Vienna to participate in training courses related to his field of work. These trips were also arranged under the pretext of attending a specialized training course.
The report stated that Vadi was told to send weekly briefs to the Mossad in exchange for regular payments.
The Iranian news agency also reported that Vadi had provided information about one of the nuclear scientists killed in the opening strikes of Operation Rising Lion.
Upon his return to Tehran after a trip to meet with a Mossad officer, Vadi came under surveillance by Iranian security agencies and was arrested after they discovered his communications with the Mossad.
While Iranian security forces have been scouring the country in pursuit of agents working with or for the Mossad since the conclusion of Operation Rising Lion, the execution of a nuclear scientist is a rare occurrence. The last execution of a nuclear scientist took place in 2016, when Shahram Amiri was put to death for treason after alleging that he had been abducted by U.S. intelligence services during a religious pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
Until the announcement of his execution on Wednesday morning, the Iranian government had not publicly confirmed Vadi’s arrest. Iranian state television aired a video of his confession on the same day; however, several human rights groups have accused the regime of extracting such confessions under duress. The Israeli government has not commented on Vadi’s execution or his alleged role in espionage operations in Iran.
