Iran sentences ex-deputy defence minister to death over alleged espionage for the UK

Iran has sentenced a former top defence officerAli Reza Akbari to death, after being found guilty of espionage for the United Kingdom, state-affiliated media reported on Wednesday.As per reportsfromthe semi-official Tasnim news agency, the judiciary declared Ali Reza Akbari, who served as deputy defence minister until 2001, to be a "key spy" for British intelligence. It claimed that Iranian intelligence uncoveredthe espionage by giving him false information.

Additionally, Tasnim news agency claimed that Akbari hadspied on previous nuclear negotiations between Iran and Western governments. Under President Mohammad Khatami, a reformer who advocated for better ties with the West, Akbari held the officeof deputy defence minister.

Iran has been engaged in a shadow war with the US and Israel for several years that has been characterised by covert strikes against Iran's contentious nuclear programme. Foreign intelligence services had made significant gains, as evidenced by the killing of Iran's top nuclear scientist in 2020, which Iran claimed Israel was responsible for.

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Akbari, who was the head of a private think tank, hasn't been spotted in the streets since 2019, when he was reportedly detained.

His trial's specifics have not been made public by the authorities. Those accused of espionage and other offences involving national security are often prosecuted covertly, where, according to rights organisations, they are not allowedto choose their own attorneys and cannot view the evidence against them.

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The UK Foreign Office was requested to intercede to stop his impending execution, reported the Guardian following whichUK foreign secretary, James Cleverly, urged the Iranian government not to go ahead with itsplans to execute Akbari.

“Iran must halt the execution of British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari and immediately release him. This is a politically motivated act by a barbaric regime that has total disregard for human life,”Cleverly said.

Akbari’s wife, Maryam Akbari, told the Guardian that her husband is a patriot and was a victim of Iranian factional power politics.

(With inputs from agencies)

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