Iran Executes Two Men Convicted of Spying for Israel — Substrate
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Iran Executes Two Men Convicted of Spying for Israel
Iran's armed forces warned of a likely resumption of the US-Israel war, citing lack of US commitment to agreements. Israeli strikes killed at least 10 in southern Lebanon amid ongoing ceasefire violations. US sanctions targeted Chinese entities trading Iranian oil, while Spirit Airlines shut down, citing soaring fuel costs.
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2 sources·May 2, 3:30 AM(50 days ago)·6m read
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Iran executed two individuals on espionage charges for allegedly spying for Israel's Mossad during the US-Israel war on the country. The executed individuals were identified as Yaqoub Karimpour and Nasser Bekerzadeh. Nasser Bekerzadeh was charged with collecting details of important government, religious, and provincial figures and providing information on important centres in the Natanz region, where a major nuclear site is located.
Yaqoub Karimpour allegedly passed sensitive information to a Mossad officer. Iran's armed forces stated it is likely the US-Israel war on the country will resume as evidence shows the US is not committed to any agreements or treaties. S officials are primarily media-driven aimed first at preventing a drop in oil prices and second at extricating themselves from the mess they have created.
Asadi stated the armed forces are fully prepared for any new adventures or foolishness from the Americans. An Israeli air strike on the southern Lebanese town of Shoukin killed at least two people and wounded several others, including Shoukin’s Mayor Hussein Ali Ahmad. The Israeli attack on Shoukin destroyed a number of residential buildings and caused massive damage to an entire neighbourhood.
Israeli strikes targeted the towns of Zoutar al-Sharqiya and Zoutar al-Gharbiya, and the river area between Zoutar and Deir Siryan overnight. The town of Harouf, in the al-Qalaa area, was targeted in an Israeli dawn raid. Israel attacked the town of Adshit in southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh district.
The Israeli military launched a drone targeting a car in a strike on the Kfardjal–Nabatieh road. Hostile artillery shelling resumed on the outskirts of the towns of Froun, Ghandoorieh, and Wadi al-Slouqi. The Israeli army opened fire with heavy machine guns on the towns of Ramya and Qouzah.
The town of Froun was subjected to hostile artillery shelling. Israel’s military continues its forced displacement of residents in southern Lebanon despite an ongoing ceasefire. Israel’s military warned residents of several towns and villages in southern Lebanon including Qaaqaait al-Jisr, Adchit al-Shaqif, Jebchit, Ebba, Kfar Jouz, Harouf, al-Duwayr, Deir ez-Zahrani and Habboush to flee.
At least eight people were killed in an Israeli attack on Habboush on Friday. Hezbollah said its fighters launched multiple artillery and drone strikes on Israeli troop gatherings and military vehicles across several front-line towns in southern Lebanon on Friday, including near Bint Jbeil, Hula and Biyyada.
US Christians expressed outrage over a photo of an Israeli soldier smashing a statue of Jesus Christ in south Lebanon.
Former US Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized US President Donald Trump’s funding of Israeli atrocities. Greene reposted criticism of Israel’s demolition of Christian sites in the Lebanese village of Yaroun. Greene stated American Christians speak out and America can’t be silent and must stop funding Israel to do such atrocities.
Greene stepped down from Congress in January. Greene's relationship with Trump broke down over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and his backing of Israeli military action in the Middle East. US air carrier Spirit Airlines announced it is going out of business after 34 years and ending operations immediately.
Spirit Airlines filed for bankruptcy twice in less than two years. Spirit Airlines' closure resulted in about 17,000 jobs being lost. Efforts to secure a government bailout for Spirit Airlines failed.
US-Israeli strikes on Iran caused oil prices to soar above $100 a barrel. Mohamad Elmasry of the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies said US-Iran talks remain in a holding pattern because Washington is misjudging the pain it is inflicting on the Iranian regime.
Elmasry stated the US administration seems to believe that the Iranians are on their last legs, almost ready to surrender, and perhaps on the verge of an oil storage crisis.
Elmasry said Trump keeps talking about how everything’s just going to explode within a matter of days, but that is not accurate and Iran could hold out for some time. Elmasry stated Iran is pushing for a short-term agreement to start with because it recognizes that nuclear negotiations will be very time-consuming and complicated.
Elmasry noted the Iranians have a lot of experience in nuclear negotiations, unlike the Trump administration, which is very inexperienced on the nuclear file.
Elmasry said the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reached by the United States and Iran in 2015 took years to work out. US President Donald Trump said he’s not happy about new proposals for talks offered by Iran. Trump claimed the leadership in Tehran is now fractured into three or four groups.
David Sedney, a former US deputy assistant secretary of defence, said after 60 days into its war with Iran, the US has not met any of the goals the Trump administration laid out. Sedney stated despite the Trump administration’s claim of regime change in Tehran, the leadership remains in place and its military forces are likely being rebuilt during the ceasefire.
Sedney stated the price of gasoline will decide the US midterm elections in November if it stays high.
The US announced new sanctions on several Chinese entities, an individual, and a vessel involved in the trade of Iranian petroleum, petroleum products, and petrochemical products. The US State Department announced new sanctions targeting China-based Qingdao Haiye oil terminal and other entities involved in Iranian oil trade.
Beijing rejected Washington’s unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction, stating it has no basis in international law.
China’s UN ambassador Fu Cong called on the UN Security Council to reconsider its decision to withdraw UNIFIL peacekeepers from southern Lebanon. Fu Cong said there is no real ceasefire in Lebanon, only a lesser fire, and called on Israel to stop its bombardment of the country.
The UN’s telecoms agency condemned Iran’s attacks on regional telecommunications infrastructure and will produce a report on the disruptions.
Iran’s Fars News Agency reported that 14 members of the IRGC were killed after unexploded ordnance detonated in the northwestern province of Zanjan. 6bn to Middle Eastern allies Israel, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the withdrawal of 5,000 American troops from Germany.
Douglas Silliman, a former US ambassador to Kuwait and Iraq, said Donald Trump is using excuses to avoid asking Congress to approve his war on Iran under the 1973 War Powers Resolution. Silliman stated that from 60 days when a conflict involving US forces starts, a president must go to Congress to continue.
Pakistan opened land trade routes to Iran, allowing the transit of goods amid the US-Israeli war and blockade of Iranian ports.
In July 2006, the UN Security Council warned Iran that if it failed to suspend nuclear enrichment-related activities, it could face economic sanctions. In December 2006, the UN Security Council voted to impose sanctions against both the state of Iran and Iranian individuals and entities deemed to be providing support for Iran’s proliferation-related activities.
In 2018, the US widened its own sanctions to include major Iranian banks, oil exporters, and shipping companies.
The UN Charter was signed by UN member states in 1945. Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer said banning some pro-Palestinian marches could be justified. Two men were stabbed in the north London suburb of Golders Green this week.
Starmer stated many Jewish people told him they were affected by the repeat nature of the protests. Starmer said chants like ‘globalise the intifada’ are completely off limits and there should be tougher action in relation to that. The intifada refers to the Palestinian civilian uprisings against Israel from 1987 to 1993 and the early 2000s.
In December last year, police in London and Manchester said they would arrest anyone chanting ‘globalise the intifada’. Starmer said the Jewish community in the UK views the chant ‘globalise the intifada’ as very, very dangerous. Four people aged between 22 and 26 who participated in a protest against a speaking event featuring Israeli soldiers who fought in Gaza are facing additional charges including taking part in a riot while masked and public incitement of hatred targeting members of the Israeli community.
In November 2025, students protested at an event hosted by Students Supporting Israel (SSI) at Toronto Metropolitan University, part of a speaking tour by Israeli soldiers called Combat on Campus.
Iranian and Qatari delegations began bilateral talks in Switzerland following four-party negotiations on implementing a provisional peace agreement. U.S. and Iranian technical teams arrived Sunday and are heading to Bürgenstock in the canton of Nidwalden.
Protesters gathered in front of Czech public television offices one day before staff planned a warning strike. The government approved the overhaul on Monday.
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