Iran To Execute Alleged CIA Spy For Passing Nuclear Secrets

Iran announced Tuesday its judiciary is set to execute a man for “spying for the CIA” and attempting to pass information to the US related to Iran’s nuclear program, according to a Fars news agency report cited in Reuters. 

Authorities did not give a date for the execution of the convicted prisoner, identified as Amir Rahimpour, but only said it would happen “very soon” after the nation’s top Islamic court upheld his death sentence.

Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili alleged that Rahimpour received a “big payment” from the US intelligence service for his operation to leak sensitive nuclear information. “Amir Rahimpour who was a CIA spy and got big pay and tried to present part of Iran’s nuclear information to the American service had been tried and sentenced to death and recently the supreme court upheld his sentence and he will see the consequences of his action soon,” the spokesman said.

No evidence or further details related to the conviction were given — a similar scenario to prior alleged “spy rings” broken up by Iranian authorities. Last summer Iran claimed to have uncovered a major spy ring involving 17 people. The Rahimpour case appears to be related to the busted alleged spy network.

After that prior July claim by Tehran, which also included announcements that death sentences had been handed out, President Trump tweeted that “The Report of Iran capturing CIA spies is totally false. Zero truth. Just more lies and propaganda.” Iran had gone so far as to publish photos and personal information of alleged CIA operatives attempting to recruit Iranians. 

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had told Fox & Friends at the time: “It’s part of their nature to lie to the world,” as well as, “I would take with a significant grain of salt any Iranian assertion about actions they’ve taken.”

The Report of Iran capturing CIA spies is totally false. Zero truth. Just more lies and propaganda (like their shot down drone) put out by a Religious Regime that is Badly Failing and has no idea what to do. Their Economy is dead, and will get much worse. Iran is a total mess!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 22, 2019

However, it was recently confirmed that an Iranian who had worked with US intelligence was executed in 2016. Deutsche Welle reports: 

The last alleged US spy to be executed in Iran was Shahram Amiri, who was hung in 2016. Amiri had defected to the US at the height of Washington’s efforts to curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. When he returned to Iran in 2010, he received a warm welcome from politicians and was a popular guest on talk shows. He suddenly disappeared before it was confirmed that he was tried and killed for epsionage.

Iran on Tuesday cited another case involving two people falsely working ‘under cover’ of a charity who were also alleged spies.

They were each given a total of 15 years on spying and related breach of national security charges. Little further information was given, or whether or not they could be dual nationals.