Iran advances bill specifying that spying for US, Israel is punishable by death

Iranian authorities approve a bill toughening penalties for those convicted of spying on behalf of Israel and the United States, months after the 12-day war between the foes.

The bill was presented to parliament on June 23, as Iran and Israel were engaged in a war that saw unprecedented Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, which the US briefly joined. Iran retaliated to Israel’s strikes by launching over 500 ballistic missiles and around 1,100 drones at Israel.

Iran’s president must sign off on the bill before it goes into effect. It comes after dozens of people were captured by Iranian authorities on suspicion of spying for Israel and the United States in the aftermath of the war.

The text approving “tougher sanctions for spying and collaborating with the Zionist regime and hostile countries, including the United States, on security and national interests” was approved, says the Guardians’ Council, the body responsible for overseeing legislation.

It does not specify which other countries were considered “hostile,” according to state news agency IRNA, but said “all deliberate assistance is condemned as corruption on Earth” — one of the most serious charges in Iran, punishable by death.

The previous, existing law did not specify particular countries, and espionage was not necessarily considered a capital offense.

The new bill sets a penalty of up to two years for “using, transporting, buying or selling unlicensed internet devices such as Starlink,” which is often used to access restricted online content.

It also outlaws sending videos and images to “hostile or foreign channels that… could undermine national security,” an offense punishable by up to five years in prison, according to IRNA.

The bill, moreover, bans “all illegal marches and gatherings during wartime.”