Iran sentences 2 over spying for Israel

Iran yesterday jailed two of its citizens on charges of spying for Israel and meeting Mossad agents, local and international news agencies reported.

In a press conference judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said Anousheh Ashouri, a dual British-Iranian national, received ten years for the spying charge on behalf of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency and a further two years for receiving $36,600 from Mossad. He was also fined for the latter charge.

The second detainee, Ali Johari, was also handed a ten-year term for espionage activities, including “extensive relationship with Mossad’s agents and meeting them across the world”.

READ: Israel delivered UAE, Saudi message to US to stop strike on Iran

“Johari has met Israeli operatives in India, Laos, and Sri Lanka, among other countries, and visited the ‘occupied lands’ (the term used for Israel in the Islamic Republic),” Press TV cited Esmaili as saying.

Johari was also in the process of obtaining an Israeli citizenship when he was arrested, state TV reported.

Iranian Aras Amiri was also convicted of spying, this time for the UK. Amiri has been in detention for a year while her case has been under investigation and has been sentenced to ten years for spying on Iranian cultural activities.

READ: Israel strikes Iran targets in Iraq