Iran: Five Citizens Arrested Over Spying Charges

Iran’s Judiciary spokesman Gholam Hossein Esmaili Tuesday revealed that five Iranians who were spying for Israel, Britain, and Germany have been arrested.

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During a virtual press conference, Esmaili explained that authorities “made the arrests in the Foreign, Defense, and Energy ministries as well as in the Atomic Energy Organisation.”

Even though he did not give details about the other three detainees, he confirmed that Judiciary already condemned two of them to ten years in prison.

“One of the convicts, Massud Mossaheb, had been spying for Mossad and Germany in the guise of the general secretary of the Austrian-Iranian Society,” Esmaili said, stressing that the man was accused of sharing information on nuclear and missile projects.

The Judiciary spokesman also referred to Shahram Shirkhani, who was convicted over the charges of spying for Great Britain, gathering sensitive information in Iran's banking and defense sectors.

So far this year, the Iranian government has executed three citizens accused of espionage. In July, Iran executed Reza Asgari for spying on behalf of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Mahmoud Mousavi Majd over providing U.S. and Israel information which led to General Qasem Soleimani assassination.

A month earlier, Teheran hanged Jalal Hajizavar after he had admitted in court he was paid to spy for the CIA.