A Government Narrative of Espionage
According to a statement published by the Judiciary Media Center of the Islamic Republic of Iran on August 6, 2025, Dr. Roozbeh Vadi, son of Ebrahim, was executed by hanging following his conviction on charges of espionage and “intentional collaboration” with Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad.
The regime claims that Dr. Vadi was targeted by Mossad due to his sensitive role within Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. He was allegedly recruited online and underwent several stages of vetting by Mossad officers operating under the codenames Alex and Kevin. The authorities assert that he formalized an agreement to transmit classified nuclear data in exchange for cryptocurrency payments. As part of this arrangement, he was said to have acquired a secure phone, laptop, and USB drives to establish encrypted communication with his handlers.
The narrative escalates with claims that Dr. Vadi traveled to Vienna, Austria, where he supposedly attended five secret meetings with Mossad operatives. According to the regime, these meetings were conducted under intense security protocols, including strip searches and polygraph tests. The Iranian judiciary alleges that Dr. Vadi provided information—including intelligence relating to a recently assassinated nuclear scientist—during these encounters. Upon his return to Iran, he was placed under surveillance, arrested, and charged under Article 6 of the “Law on Combating Hostile Acts of the Zionist Regime” along with several articles of the Islamic Penal Code. His sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court, and his execution was carried out on August 6, 2025 (15 Mordad 1404).
A Scientist, Not a Spy
Despite the government’s claims, Dr. Roozbeh Vadi’s career paints a completely different picture—one of exceptional scientific merit and national service.
Dr. Vadi was a highly accomplished nuclear engineering scholar, having completed:
- A Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with a specialization in Heat Transfer and Fluids from Zanjan University between 2003 and 2008.
- A Master’s degree in Nuclear Engineering, specializing in Reactor Design, from Shahid Beheshti University between 2008 and 2010. His thesis focused on computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-based safety evaluations of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant. During this time, he was supervised by the late Dr. Ahmad Zolfaghari, a prominent nuclear expert.
- A Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering (Reactor Design) from Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic) between 2009 and 2016. His doctoral research involved cutting-edge simulations of neutron flux and thermohydraulic behavior in nuclear reactors.
Throughout his academic career, Dr. Vadi achieved multiple distinctions:
- He ranked first among all doctoral graduates in his field.
- He received an official commendation from Dr. Ali Akbar Salehi, then-head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), for his active and successful participation in an IAEA technical summit.
- He was awarded elite service exemptions and research funding through Iran’s National Elites Foundation, including a specialized alternative to mandatory military service due to his scientific contributions.
His doctoral work was supervised by Dr. Kamran Sepanloo, Director-General of the Nuclear Safety System at AEOI, and scientific advisor to the IAEA office in Vienna, with Dr. Parviz Parvin serving as co-advisor. Dr. Sepanloo is one of Iran’s most authoritative voices in nuclear safety, and his endorsement reflected the regime’s trust in Dr. Vadi at the highest level.
A Career Dedicated to National Safety
After completing his Ph.D., Dr. Vadi was appointed as a senior nuclear safety evaluator at the Iran Nuclear Regulatory Authority (INRA) starting in spring 2017. His role placed him in direct responsibility for assessing the safety of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
In 2015, even before officially joining INRA, he worked as a technical researcher evaluating the Safety Analysis Report (SAR) for the Tehran Research Reactor, a highly sensitive national facility. His reports were submitted to international agencies, including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Dr. Vadi also contributed to other national projects, such as simulations for ITER and IR-10 designs, which required deep technical knowledge and clearance.
His publications included collaborations with top nuclear scientists, including Dr. Abdolhamid Minouchahr and Dr. Ahmad Zolfaghari, both of whom were later killed in the context of the Iran-Israel 12-day war.
Debunking the Mossad Narrative
The regime’s depiction of clandestine espionage meetings in Vienna has been seriously challenged by an independent investigation conducted by the AmirKabir Newsletter.
The investigation confirms the following key points:
Dr. Vadi’s travel to Vienna was officially sanctioned by his supervisor, Dr. Kamran Sepanloo, who served as Iran’s representative at the IAEA. Dr. Sepanloo personally nominated Vadi to participate in specialized workshops on nuclear safety, held in IAEA research centers in Austria.
Despite strict limitations on international travel for AEOI personnel, Dr. Vadi received formal exit permission signed by Dr. Sepanloo.
These IAEA workshops were not covert operations, but standard training missions routinely attended by nuclear safety professionals from across the globe. Similar participation by other Iranian scientists had been publicly acknowledged in the past.
In light of this evidence, it becomes clear that what the Iranian judiciary labeled as “espionage meetings” were, in fact, routine professional assignments—repurposed and distorted after-the-fact to fabricate a case of foreign betrayal.
An Execution Meant to Instill Fear
Dr. Vadi’s death is not just a judicial error; it is a warning. His execution signals to Iran’s scientific community that no level of expertise, recognition, or loyalty guarantees safety in today’s political climate.
This case demonstrates that:
- Top nuclear experts are vulnerable to false accusations orchestrated by opaque security agencies.
- International collaboration with organizations like the IAEA—once encouraged—is now retroactively used as “evidence” of treason.
- Scientific achievement offers no immunity from becoming a scapegoat when the regime seeks to assert dominance through fear.
His life’s work, which reflected deep national commitment, international respect, and technical brilliance, was erased in a single politically charged trial.
A Mind Silenced, Not a Threat Eliminated
The Islamic Republic claimed to have executed a Mossad spy. But a closer examination reveals that Dr. Roozbeh Vadi was not eliminated for leaking secrets—he was silenced for embodying the very traits the regime fears most: intellect, integrity, and internationalism.
He was a brilliant scientist, entrusted with Iran’s most sensitive nuclear safety evaluations, endorsed by elite institutions, and connected to global networks of scientific exchange.
His death marks not the execution of a traitor, but the public lynching of Iran’s intellectual autonomy.
