Iran hands prison terms to 2 ‘US spies’

Iran yesterday sentenced two civilians to long prison terms on charges of spying for the United States, an official said.

Judiciary spokesman Gholam-Hossein Esmaili told reporters that an unspecified number of suspects, arrested less than a year ago, faced possible death sentences in military tribunals, adding that “two of the defendants, who were not military personnel, have received long prison terms,” without giving details.

He explained that the cell worked in sensitive centres such as nuclear and defence facilities and infrastructure in the country.

The Iranian military judiciary said last month it had executed a former employee of the defence ministry aerospace body on charges of spying for the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

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