Iran tightened its iron grip on dissent Wednesday, delivering a grisly message to its enemies: betrayal is paid for in blood. Babak Shahbazi, accused of selling secrets to Israel’s Mossad since 2022, was dragged to the gallows and executed by hanging, the judiciary proudly announced.

Mizan Online, the regime’s mouthpiece, gloated that Shahbazi’s sentence had been ratified by the Supreme Court before his neck was snapped at dawn. His “crimes”? Corruption on earth and waging war against God—charges Iran routinely wields to silence those it brands as traitors.

Shahbazi’s expertise in designing industrial cooling systems gave him access to sensitive projects tied to Iran’s military and telecommunications networks. Officials claim he bartered that knowledge to Mossad “for money and the promise of foreign sanctuary.” Instead, his reward was a noose.

Tehran has promised swift vengeance for anyone accused of conspiring with Israel since war broke out in June—and the blood trail is growing longer. Just last month, Roozbeh Vadi, once an employee in Iran’s nuclear sector, was hanged for allegedly leaking intel on scientists and facilities. Weeks later, intelligence forces boasted of rounding up “20 Mossad spies and collaborators” across the country, their fates already sealed.

Iran, second only to China in its relentless use of executions, continues to revel in its reputation for merciless punishment. For Shahbazi, the morning air of September 17 was his last—his body now a grim warning to others who dare cross the regime.