IRAN - Iran Approves Tougher Espionage Law

October 2, 2025 - Iran Approves Tougher Espionage Law

Iran’s Guardian Council approved a bill on Wednesday that imposes harsher penalties for espionage, including the death penalty for intelligence or operational cooperation with Israel and the United States, the council’s spokesman said.

The legislation, which will become law after minor amendments, was passed by parliament in June amid escalating tensions between Iran and Israel.

Under the new law, any intelligence, espionage, or operational activity on behalf of “hostile states and groups” will be punishable by execution and asset confiscation.

The United States and Israel are explicitly designated as hostile states, while the Supreme National Security Council will determine other cases.

Responsibility for identifying “enemy networks” will fall to the Intelligence Ministry.

Parliament first approved the bill after a series of reports of Israeli intelligence and field operations inside Iran.

Before the Guardian Council sent it back for revisions, 57 legal experts criticized the bill in an open letter, describing it as “a major catastrophe” for the country’s legal and judicial system.

“The publication of the complete text of the espionage penalty bill, alongside news of hundreds of arrests across the country and several executions, has raised serious concerns about the possibility of a major catastrophe in the country’s legal and judicial system,” they wrote.

https://iranwire.com/en/news/145253-iran-approves-tougher-espionage-law-with-death-penalty-for-cooperation-with-israel-us/