Iran executes 3 men accused of carrying out operations for Israel, US during protests

Iran executed three men on Sunday after convicting them of carrying out operations for Israel and the US and participating in armed unrest during anti-government protests in January, state media reported, according to news agency Reuters. The executions are the latest in a series of death sentences carried out by Iran in recent months in connection with the January protests, including against individuals accused of having links to Israel and the US. The three men, identified as Hassan Dioband, Hamid Kazemi and Reza Zanganeh, were accused of using firearms, grenades and Molotov cocktails, setting fire to public facilities and damaging an electricity substation in the city of Karaj, resulting in power outages in some areas, according to the judiciary. The judiciary said Dioband was arrested on January 11 after investigators identified him as a suspect in attacks on public property and incitement to violence. Ten other people accused of participating in the unrest under his supervision were subsequently arrested, it added. The three men were sentenced to death, with orders for their assets to be confiscated. The executions were carried out after the Supreme Court upheld their sentences, while the remaining defendants were handed prison terms ranging from five to 10 years.