Iran has sentenced a UK national to 10 years in prison on spying allegations, Independent reported.
Anoosheh Ashoori, a British-Iranian twin national, was accused of passing intelligence to Israel’s spy company, in accordance to Iran’s judiciary, which is dominated by hardline clerics and jurists.
Two others, together with a UK resident, have been reportedly sentenced on related fees, as Iran proceed its goal on twin nationals.
“Anoosheh Ashoori had been connected to the Mossad and had relayed a lot of intelligence to that country,” judiciary spokesperson Gholamhossein Esmaeili informed reporters throughout a weekly briefing, in accordance to the Tasnim information company.
“(*10*) has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for spying and two years for illicitly buying cash”, the spokesperson mentioned.
“We have been supporting the family of a British-Iranian dual national since his detention and our embassy in Tehran continues to request consular access,” a spokesperson for UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), mentioned.
The newest sentencing comes after British Council employee Aras Amiri, an Iranian citizen with everlasting residency in the UK, had a ten-year sentence for ‘cultural infiltration’ upheld by an Iran appeals court docket.
Judiciary spokesperson, Esmaeili, confirmed the conviction final week of Aras Amiri,34, an Iranian worker of the British Council and scholar of philosophy at London’s Kingston University, on allegations of spying for the UK. He has additionally introduced the conviction of Ali Johari, additionally on fees of spying for Israel.
Ms Amiri, who rejected the fees in a letter to the judiciary chief, has been sentenced to jail for 10 years.
According to Independent, Iran has focused quite a few twin nationals, together with British Iranian support employee Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, and French scholar Fariba Adelkhah.
Like Ms Amiri, they’re typically grabbed by shadowy parts inside the safety forces throughout visits residence from the west.
“The treatment of all dual nationals detained in Iran is a priority and we raise their cases at the most senior levels”, a spokesperson for FCO mentioned whereas urging Iran to launch British nationals.
In July this 12 months, Iran claimed it captured 17 spies working for the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and sentenced some to demise.
Iran announced it has captured 17 alleged U.S spies, sentenced some to death
It was unclear whether or not Tuesday’s announcement was linked to the identical case.