Judiciary Announces Death Sentences for Three in Mohsen Fakhrizadeh 'Assassination' Case

The spokesperson for the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic announced the issuance of death sentences in the primary court for individuals described as 'agents supplying equipment for the assassination' of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, known as 'the father of Iran's nuclear program.' Asghar Jahangir stated on Tuesday, November 15, during a press conference with reporters, that the detainees were identified as 'three Israeli spies.' According to him, these three individuals had attempted to transfer assassination equipment for Fakhrizadeh under the guise of smuggling alcoholic beverages in West Azerbaijan province. Jahangir also mentioned that the case of these individuals, who are 'three out of eight arrested in West Azerbaijan province, is currently in the appeal stage.' He added that 'cases are open for other defendants as well.' The announcement comes amid heightened verbal and military tensions between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Israel, nearly four years after the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. Fakhrizadeh was killed on December 7, 2020, in Absard, Damavand, reportedly by the Mossad using a one-ton weapon. Reports indicated that he was shot 13 times while traveling with his wife and 12 bodyguards. About ten months after his assassination, details emerged from an operation that the then-head of Mossad implicitly confirmed Israel's involvement in, with the New York Times revealing behind-the-scenes events and the Trump administration's response. The American newspaper described the use of a remotely operated smart machine gun from a 'command center' thousands of kilometers away, with various parts of the automatic gun assembled and activated with artificial intelligence in Iran. Benjamin Netanyahu, the then-Prime Minister of Israel, had referred to Fakhrizadeh as 'the father of Iran's nuclear bomb' two and a half years before his assassination, urging listeners to 'remember this name.' While Iran has attributed the assassination of several of its scientists and officials over the past decade to Israel, Fakhrizadeh remains the highest-ranking Iranian nuclear official killed in an operation attributed to Mossad. In response to a question about the status of Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi, two journalists arrested for reporting on the death and burial of Mahsa Zhina Amini in September 2022, the spokesperson for the Judiciary stated that the head of the Judiciary had ordered the case to be reviewed. Jahangir had previously announced that the five-year prison sentences for Hamedi and Mohammadi, journalists for Shargh and Ham-Mihan newspapers, would be enforced. This comes as their lawyers emphasized that their clients are eligible for 'the pardon announced in 2023.' The news has sparked widespread criticism and increased calls for Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to intervene. Jahangir stated in today's press conference that 'these two requested pardon and assistance on November 1 this year, committing in a letter not to engage in any illegal actions and to adhere to written and ethical commitments.' He added: 'Considering that these individuals have served part of their sentence, they requested pardon and Islamic clemency, and in this regard, the head of the Judiciary ordered their letter to be referred to the Pardon Commission for legal processing.' According to Jahangir, this letter has now been sent to the Pardon Commission in the Tehran judiciary, and the outcome will be announced after review. Both journalists denied all charges against them during their final court session last year, asserting that they were 'the voice of the people in their journalism and take pride in it.' After more than a year of temporary detention, they were sentenced to long prison terms in a court presided over by Judge Salavati. The Tehran Court of Appeals had converted their bail to 10 billion tomans each, allowing them to be temporarily released. In another part of his statements, the spokesperson defended the sentence of finger amputation for two thieves in Urmia, recently executed. He stated: 'These two criminals had dozens of convictions for theft and kidnapping, and due to their multiple crimes, they were subject to amputation.' The spokesperson added: 'This matter does not contradict the Judiciary's transformation document; divine limits are non-negotiable, and the transformation document is not meant to suspend divine limits. This action was entirely within the framework of divine limits.' On November 8, human rights media reported the execution of the amputation of four fingers of the right hand of Shahab and Mehrdad Timouri with a guillotine in Urmia Central Prison. The two brothers were sentenced to finger amputation for theft. Shahab Timouri was born on June 9, 1985, and Mehrdad Timouri on September 21, 1990, both from Sarpol-e Zahab and residing in Karaj. The execution of their finger amputation faced widespread criticism. With the execution of this sentence, concerns have increased regarding the potential execution of similar sentences for five other prisoners in Urmia prison facing similar finger amputation sentences.