An Iranian court has sentenced three citizens to death for their alleged involvement in a terror attack in the central city of Isfahan on 16 November, which left three members of the security forces dead.

The three detainees sentenced to death are Saleh Mirhashemi Boltaghi, Majid Kazemi Sheikh Shabani, and Saeed Yaghoubi. According to Tasnim News Agency, Boltaghi is linked to the Iranian opposition organization, Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MEK).

Their sentences remain open to appeal.

Two others were handed prison terms for the November attack. One of them is professional footballer Amir Nasr-Azadani, who received 26 years in prison.

Iran has so far sentenced 17 people to death and executed at least four in the wake of street protests and violent riots that have gripped the nation since the death of Mahsa Amini in mid-September.

Six of those convicted of violence during the unrest have been granted retrials.

According to prosecutors, the attack on 16 November was premeditated, as the armed assailants attacked security forces and civilians, leading to several injuries.

Iranian authorities have blamed foreign players for fueling the unrest in a forced attempt to remove the revolutionary government of the Islamic Republic.

On 10 January, Iran’s Intelligence Ministry released a statement announcing the arrest of several Israeli spy teams in the country, discovered by authorities over the past few weeks.

Since late December, Iranian security forces have dismantled at least six operational Mossad networks have been dismantled by Iranian security forces.

Also on Tuesday, Iranian media reports revealed that a Belgian national was sentenced to 40 years in jail and 74 lashes under espionage charges.

Olivier Vandecasteele was found guilty of spying on Iran, cooperating with the US against Iran, currency smuggling, and money laundering.

The Belgian national denies all charges.

Belgium’s Justice Minister in December said Vandecasteele had been sentenced as “retribution” for a 20-year jail sentence Belgian courts imposed on an Iranian diplomat in 2021.