Iran’s Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei has issued a stern warning to anyone cooperating with the country’s arch-enemy Israel, promising swift and harsh punishment.

“Without leniency and with full determination, they will face the harshest punishment in accordance with the applicable laws and with the utmost urgency,” Mr Mohseni-Ejei said on Monday, according to the Tasnim news agency.

Cooperation with Israel or foreign intelligence services is often punishable by death in Iran.

The judiciary chief said that anyone taken into custody for such connections should be brought to trial immediately, with verdicts issued quickly and punishments carried out swiftly and publicly, especially given the current war situation.

The state-affiliated Mizan news agency reported that Iran had executed another man convicted of spying for Israel.

The man, arrested in 2023, was found guilty under Islamic law of waging war against “God and corruption on Earth”.

This marks the third execution linked to espionage charges in recent months.

Tensions between Iran and Israel have escalated sharply since June 13, when Israel launched large-scale airstrikes on Iranian targets, triggering retaliatory exchanges between the two countries.

(dpa/NAN)