Iranian authorities have executed four people accused of working for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, the state-run IRNA news agency says.
Three others received lengthy prison sentences.
IRNA said the country’s powerful Revolutionary Guard announced on Sunday the arrests of a network of people linked to the Israeli agency.
It said the members had previous criminal records and tried to disrupt the country’s security.
Israel and Iran are regional arch-enemies and Iran occasionally announces the detention of people it says are spying for foreign countries, including the United States and Israel.
Iran does not recognise Israel and supports anti-Israeli armed groups across the region, such as Hezbollah and Hamas.
Network members stole and destroyed private and public property and kidnapped individuals and interrogated them, according to the report.
It said the alleged spies had weapons and received wages from Mossad in the form of cryptocurrency.
IRNA identified the executed prisoners as Hossein Ordoukhanzadeh, Shahin Imani Mahmoudabadi, Milad Ashrafi and Manouchehr Shahbandi.
Three other members of the group received sentences of five to 10 years in prison, according to the news agency, but they were not identified.
Iran and Israel have long accused each other of spying. Israel views Iran as its greatest threat and has repeatedly threatened to take military action to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Read the article in The Canberra Times (AAP).