Iran Detains 17 Central Intelligence Agency Spies, Sentences Some To Death

Tehran: Iran has detained 17 people on charges of spying for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the USA and sentenced some of them to death, said the Intelligence Ministry on Monday. The Ministry’s Director-General for counter-intelligence said the 17 “professional spies” were working on behalf of the CIA throughout the last year, Fars news agency reported. “The spies were employed insensitive and vital private sector centers in the economic, nuclear, infrastructural, military and cyber areas where they collected classified information,” the official said in a statement cited by the Iranian media. The official claimed the CIA had recruited them by mainly contacting them over the Internet. Other tactics included issuing or renewing US visas, hiring Iranian specialists, providing the necessary equipment and access to certain participants in scientific events abroad, sending emails and messaging through social media, the report said. (IANS)

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