Foreign Affairs

Iran Hangs Ex-State Employee After He Was Convicted Of Spying For The CIA: Report

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Iran executed a former employee of the Ministry of Defense’s aerospace arm on charges of spying for the U.S. CIA, The Associated Press reported Saturday, citing Iran’s state TV.

Jalal Hajizavar left his post at the Defense Ministry nine years ago and was convicted and found guilty of spying for the U.S. after a government investigation discovered documents and spying equipment at his home, according to AP.

Court documents obtained by Iran’s state TV say Hajizavar was allegedly executed at Rajai Shahr prison, which is located west of Tehran, after he said in court that the CIA paid him to spy. Haizavar’s wife was also sentenced to 15 years in prison for her role in the spying.

News of the execution comes amid growing tensions between the U.S. and Iran after President Donald Trump threatened strikes against the regime following reports that a U.S. Navy drone was shot down Thursday by the Islamic Republic and two oil tankers were attacked in June near the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump said Saturday morning that he is “moving forward” with implementing additional sanctions on the regime during a press gaggle in front of the White House before leaving for Camp David.

“Yeah, we’re moving forward with additional sanctions on Iran,” he told reporters. “Good question. Some of them, as you know — we have about as strong a sanction grouping as you could possibly have on any country. We’re putting additional sanctions on. They’re going on slowly, and in some cases pretty rapidly. But Iran — additional sanctions are being put on Iran.”

“I’m not looking for war and if there is, it’ll be obliteration like you’ve never seen before. … I think they want to negotiate, and I think they want to make a deal. And my deal is nuclear,” Trump added on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday.