Iran executed a man convicted of links to both the exiled opposition group Mujahideen-e-Khalq and Israel's intelligence service, regime-backed news outlet Mizan reported on Thursday.
Mizan identified the man as Soltanali Shirzadi Fakhr and alleged that he had been a long-time member of the MEK. The report also added that he was found guilty of cooperating with Israeli intelligence.
According to the state report, Shirzadi had cooperated with the MEK in various roles over several years.
MEK, also known as the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, was considered a terrorist organization by the US, Canada, UK, the EU, and Japan until 2013 and was previously described by critics as featuring traits of a “personality cult.”
What is the MEK?
According to the US State Department, during the 1970s, the MEK killed US military personnel and civilians in Tehran and supported the 1979 takeover of the US Embassy. After the Islamic Revolution, the group focused mainly on regime-affiliated targets.
The group is the main force behind the National Council of Resistance of Iran, led by Maryam Rajavi, which has an active presence in many Western countries.
The Mizan report claimed Shirzadi crossed the Salmas border illegally in 1987 after receiving instructions via MEK communications and, with the help of smugglers linked to the group, traveled to Iraq, where he joined an MEK reception unit.
Shirzadi reportedly confessed to participating in operations referred to as “Eternal Light” and “Chalcheregh,” which the regime-affiliated report as actions against Iran.
The report added that in April 2012, during the entry of Iraqi forces into Camp Ashraf, Shirzadi opposed the presence of Iraqi troops and was injured in clashes with soldiers.
Iranian authorities have killed thousands of people during anti-government protests in January, Iran's worst domestic unrest since the era of its 1979 Islamic Revolution.