SULAIMANI (ESTA) — A former Iranian deputy minister of defense has been sentenced to death on charges of spying allegations, Iranian state media on Wednesday reported.
Iran has sentenced a former deputy defense minister who holds dual Iranian-British citizenship to death on charges of spying allegations for Britain.
Britain described the death sentence on Alireza Akbari as politically motivated and called for his immediate release.
Akbari was a close ally of Ali Shamkhani, who is currently the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and served as Defense Minister from 1997 to 2005 when Akbari was his deputy.
“He was one of the most important agents of the British intelligence service in Iran who had access to some very sensitive centers in the country,” Iran’s Intelligence Ministry said. “Akbari had fully knowingly provided information to the enemy’s spy service.”
British foreign minister James Cleverly called for Akbari to be freed.
“Iran must halt the execution of British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari and immediately release him,” Cleverly wrote on Twitter. “This is a politically motivated act by a barbaric regime that has total disregard for human life.”
Akbari’s death sentence has been upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court, Nournews, an Iranian news agency affiliated with the country’s top security agency, reported.
