Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 15 October 2026: Ayoub Mohammad Nabil, a 28-year-old Iraqi national accused of espionage for Saudi Arabia, was executed in Rasht Central Prison. He is the 17th individual to be executed on espionage charges in 2026 and the third Iraqi national.
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, Ayoub Mohammad Nabil was hanged in Rasht (Lakan) Central Prison on 11 October 2026. He was arrested by Ministry of Intelligence agents in Fuman County on 26 August 2025. Prior to his arrest, he was working as a caretaker for a private villa, having entered Iran legally on a passport.
An informed source previously told IHRNGO: “Following his arrest, Ayoub was detained for approximately five months at the Intelligence Detention Centre in Rasht, where he was subjected to severe psychological torture. He has denied all allegations of ties to or cooperation with Saudi Arabia or affiliated groups, stating that these heavy charges were fabricated solely because he is a devout Sunni Muslim who wore a beard and taught Quran lessons to local children and teenagers inside his guard room.”
“He was convicted despite the complete absence of evidence linking him to political activities or Sunni Wahhabi groups,” the source added.
On 30 September, IHRNGO reported that Ayoub had been sentenced to death by Branch 1 of the Rasht Revolutionary Court on allegations of espionage for Saudi-backed proxy groups.
At least seventeen people have been executed for espionage charges in 2026. Thirteen were accused of espionage for Israel and the United States, and as well as Ayoub Mohammad Nabil, two other Iraqi nationals were accused of espionage for an unknown Arab country. An Afghan national was accused of espionage for an unknown country.
According to IHRNGO’s 2025 Annual Report on the Death Penalty in Iran, at least 13 people were executed for charges related to espionage for Israel. The surge began in the lead-up to the Twelve-Day War in June 2025; two people were executed prior to the war, three during the war and the remainder were executed after the war. It is important to note that in some cases, the defendants were not originally arrested for espionage charges. They were coerced and tortured into making self-incriminating confessions that were later used as the basis of their sentences. In 2026, two executions were carried out in January and fifteen of the executions for espionage have been carried out since the 40-Day War.