Iran executes man convicted of spying for CIA

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran has executed a man convicted of spying for the United States by selling the CIA information on the Islamic Republic’s missile program, the judiciary spokesman says.

Reza Asgari, an Iranian citizen, was executed last week, Gholamhossein Esmaili is quoted as saying by the judiciary’s official website Mizan Online.

He had worked at the defense ministry’s aerospace division for years but retired around four years ago, the spokesman adds.

Asgari had received large sums of money from the US Central Intelligence Agency “after retirement by selling them the information he had regarding our missiles.”

“He was identified, tried, and sentenced to death,” Esmaili says.

He adds that the death sentence passed for Mahmoud Mousavi Majd, another Iranian who was found guilty of espionage last month, was also set to go ahead.

Majd was accused of spying on Iran’s armed forces and helping the US to locate Qassem Soleimani, the top Iranian general killed later in an American drone strike in Baghdad.

Iran retaliated by firing a volley of ballistic missiles at US troops stationed in Iraq, but US President Donald Trump opted against responding militarily.

While the attack on the western Iraqi base of Ain Al-Asad left no US soldiers dead, dozens suffered brain trauma.

— AFP