Iranian Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili on Tuesday announced that the body had handed out various harsh sentences to four alleged spies. Three of the accused are suspected of engaging in espionage on behalf of the CIA, while the other is accused of working for British Intelligence. One alleged CIA spy was sentenced to death, while the other three suspects were each given 10 years in prison. In July of this year, Iran said it had captured 17 US intelligence officers between March of 2018 and 2019, but it was not immediately clear if the sentences were connected to those arrests.
The news comes just days after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani claimed that the US offered to “lift all sanctions” on Iran in order to get the country to participate in new negotiations regarding the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Tensions between Iran and the US have risen dramatically since Washington abandoned that agreement last year and reimposed sanctions. Iran began violating the accord earlier this year, citing a perceived unwillingness by Europe to help the regime circumvent the US measures.
Read more: Iran sentences suspect to death for spying for CIA
