(NEWS) Iran To Try Two People Accused Of Spying For Israel

6:22 PM by 
"Iran will soon try two of its citizens accused of spying for the country's arch foe Israel, a judiciary official was quoted by media as saying on Tuesday.

'Cases of the two will be sent to the court ... the two were linked to the Zionist regime's (Israel) intelligence services and provided them with information,' said Tehran prosecutor general Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, state radio reported.



'The two also received money (from Israel).'

The prosecutor did not give their names. Judiciary officials were not available for comment on the report.

Under Iran's penal code, imposed since its 1979 Islamic revolution, espionage can carry the death penalty. A convicted Iranian, Ali Ashtari, was hanged in Iran in 2008 for working with Mossad. Israel denied having any links with the case.

In early October, Iran said it would try five Iranians for espionage, accusing them of passing secrets about its space programme, economy and defence to its foes, a term Iran often uses to refer to the United States and Israel.

Iran refuses to recognise Israel.



Iran said on Oct 3 it had arrested several people it believed were spying on its nuclear facilities. It was not clear if those who would go on trial were the same suspects or others.

The U.N. Security Council, the United States and EU have imposed sanctions on Iran in the past months to try to persuade its hardline rulers to halt sensitive nuclear activities.

Iran says it has complied with legal requirements and has a right to nuclear power.

Israel, assumed to possess the Middle East's only atomic arsenal, has hinted it could attack Iran if it deemed diplomacy had failed to remove what it sees as a threat to its existence.

Iran has vowed to retaliate to any strikes with missile salvoes on Israel and U.S. targets in the Gulf.

Taking the last major step to realising its goal of becoming a peaceful user of nuclear energy, the Islamic state began on Tuesday loading fuel into the core of its Russian-built nuclear power plant, the country's first and only nuclear reactor." (source)