Iranian authorities have executed three men after convicting them of allegedly carrying out operations on behalf of Israel and the United States during anti-government protests in January, the country’s judiciary said on Sunday.
The men, identified as Hassan Divband, Hamid Kazemi and Reza Zanganeh, were executed after their death sentences were upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court, according to the judiciary’s Mizan Online website.
The authorities accused the three men of engaging in what they described as “operational activities” on behalf of Israel, the United States and other hostile groups during the protests.
Mizan reported that the men were found guilty of throwing Molotov cocktails and grenades, using bladed weapons and firearms, and setting fire to public facilities in Karaj, a city west of Tehran.
Other defendants in the case reportedly received prison sentences ranging from five to 10 years.
The protests, which initially began in December over rising living costs, later developed into widespread anti-government demonstrations, with unrest reportedly reaching its peak on January 8 and 9.
Iranian authorities have said that more than 3,000 people were killed during the unrest, attributing the violence to what they described as terrorist acts orchestrated by the United States and Israel.
However, foreign-based non-governmental organisations have reported higher death tolls and alleged that Iranian security forces opened fire on protesters.
The executions come amid heightened tensions between Iran, Israel and the United States following the outbreak of the wider Middle East conflict, which began in late February after US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
The latest executions are expected to further intensify international scrutiny of Iran’s use of the death penalty in cases involving alleged national security and espionage offences.