Iran frees detained German citizen accused of spying - reporter
Mark Kaufman, a German national detained in Iran in June on suspicion of espionage has been freed under conditional pardon, journalist Kambiz Ghafouri told Iran International.
Mark Kaufman, a German national detained in Iran in June on suspicion of espionage has been freed under conditional pardon, journalist Kambiz Ghafouri told Iran International.
“Iranian judicial and security officials directed Kaufman to submit a conditional release request. He was removed from prison and fully released on Thursday,” Ghafouri told Iran International on Friday.
Ghafouri, a veteran investigative journalist who has reported previously on undisclosed developments within Iran's security establishment and who broke the news via a post on X, said Kaufman remained in Iran.
No official Iranian media has reported the release, and the German Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to an Iran International request for comment.
Iranian media reported in June that Kaufman had been arrested on alleged spying charges near restricted nuclear and military sites in Markazi province.
State news agency Mehr released a video they say showed Kaufman, describing him as a Jewish-German dual national tourist cycling through the region, speaking after his arrest.
In the footage, Kaufman says he was aware he was near a military area and that taking photos or videos was not allowed. He adds that he sent his location to a friend. The video is heavily edited and does not include a clear confession.
Iranian officials accuse Kaufman of gathering intelligence on sensitive military sites, including missile silos, drone routes and airbases.
Mehr said he was detained by Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) intelligence operatives in an area marked with warning signs.
The sharp rise, officials say, reverses ten years of gradual decline in traffic deaths and reflects the country’s worsening vehicle safety, outdated road networks, and weak enforcement of driving standards.
The figure broke a ten-year record, with fatalities exceeding 20,000 for the first time since 2011, Abbas Masjedi, head of the Legal Medicine Organization, told Dideban Iran.
“Unfortunately, last year, for the first time in ten years, we recorded more than 20,000 deaths caused by traffic accidents,” Masjedi said. “During the previous decade, the figure always stayed below that mark. After the pandemic, travel increased again, and the number of deaths rose as a result,” he said.
Nearly half a million people, Masjedi added, were injured in crashes last year, with 7 to 10 percent suffering permanent disabilities. He described the losses as “a heavy burden on the national healthcare system and public funds,” estimating that the lifetime cost per serious injury could reach 90 billion rials (nearly $90,000).
Road safety analysts attribute the surge not only to driver error but also to systemic failures – notably the poor quality of domestically produced vehicles and long-neglected accident-prone roads. Studies have shown that Iranian-made cars routinely fail crash safety standards, turning even minor collisions into deadly incidents.
Large sections of Iran’s intercity network, particularly the northern and southern corridors, lack basic safety features such as guardrails, lighting, and warning signs, according to the Legal Medicine Organization. Urban centers like Tehran, where traffic density is among the highest in the region, also account for a growing share of fatal accidents.
Preventive spending urged
Masjedi urged authorities to redirect more funding from emergency response to prevention, including upgrading road infrastructure and improving vehicle safety.
“Investment in prevention is worth every rial,” Masjedi said. “If we fix these dangerous points and improve vehicle quality, we can save thousands of lives each year.”
The latest figures highlight the human and economic toll of road accidents in Iran, where transport safety has long lagged behind international standards despite repeated government pledges to reduce fatalities by 10 percent annually.
