DUBAI: Iran has captured 17 spies working for the US Central IntelligenceAgency (CIA) and some have been sentenced to death, Iranian media reportedon Monday.
State television quoted the Intelligence Ministry as saying it had brokenup a CIA spying ring and captured 17 suspects.
The announcement comes after three months of spiraling confrontation withthe West that began when new tighter US sanctions took effect at the startof May.
Last week Iran captured a British tanker in the Strait of Hormuz afterBritain’s Royal Marines seized an Iranian tanker off the coast of Gibraltarin July 4.
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“The identified spies were employed in sensitive and vital rivate sectorcentres in the economic, nuclear, infrastructural, military and cyber areas… where they collected classified information,” said a ministry statementread on state television.
It was not immediately clear if the arrests were linked to the case inwhich Iran said in June it had exposed a large cyber espionage network italleged was run by the CIA, and that several US spies had been arrested indifferent countries as a result of this action.
