Tehran, Iran—Iranian state media reported that authorities executed a man accused of “spying for Israel” inside Qom Central Prison, without initially revealing his identity.
Subsequent investigations revealed that the prisoner was Javad Naimi, a specialist expert working at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility.
According to a report by the Iranian Hangav Human Rights Organization,
the death sentence against Javad Naimi was carried out at dawn on Saturday, October 18, 2025.
This is in Qom Central Prison. Naimi was born in Qom and worked in his field of expertise at the sensitive nuclear facility in Natanz.
Official news agencies, including Iran’s Mizan News Agency, reported that security forces arrested Naimi in February 2024.
He was then sentenced to death under circumstances described as “incomplete and vague.”
The Hangao report confirmed that he was subjected to torture to force him to confess to espionage,
reflecting the Islamic Republic’s record of forced confessions.
Official media said that Jawad Naimi had contacted the Israeli intelligence agency for “personal and professional” reasons.
This claim was met with widespread skepticism by human rights activists,
who asserted that the investigation conditions and confessions may not have been fair.
Naimi was buried in the Behesht-e Masoumeh Cemetery in Qom on Tuesday, October 21, 2025.
Amidst tight security measures and official silence, security agencies have
warned his family not to publish details of the case or discuss it publicly.
This incident comes amid rising tensions over Iran’s nuclear program,
Amid growing international concerns about expanded intelligence cooperation
and strict security measures inside sensitive nuclear facilities in Iran.
The execution of a nuclear expert under controversial circumstances raises questions
about the Iranian regime’s transparency and human rights record in dealing with political and security suspects.
