Iran Hands Death Sentence to Former Defense Official Accused of Spying for UK
- Former defense deputy Alireza Akbari accused of being UK agent
- UK Foreign Secretary Cleverly calls for halt to execution
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Iran has upheld a death sentence for a former deputy minister with dual British nationality who was arrested for spying for the UK, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
Alireza Akbari, who served as a deputy defense minister during the presidency of reformist Mohammad Khatami, was accused of being “one of the most important agents” of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service and charged with espionage, Tasnim said, citing a statement by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence.