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Iran executes former defense worker as 'CIA spy'

Iran has claimed for the past year that it busted a U.S. spy ring and arrested more than a dozen Iranians who'd supplied information to the CIA. File Photo by Dennis Brack/UPI/Pool
Iran has claimed for the past year that it busted a U.S. spy ring and arrested more than a dozen Iranians who'd supplied information to the CIA. File Photo by Dennis Brack/UPI/Pool | License Photo

July 14 (UPI) -- The Iranian government said Tuesday it has executed a defense ministry employee it suspected of spying for the United States.

A spokesman said the accused spy, Reza Asgari, was a former Iranian Aerospace Industries Organization employee who'd eventually established ties with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. He retired four years ago.

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Tehran said Asgari conspired with the CIA in his final years at the defense ministry and sold information about Iranian missiles.

"He was identified, convicted and sentenced to death," said Gholam-Hossein Esmaeili, a representative of Iran's judiciary.

Esmaeili said Asgari was executed last week. It was the second execution of an accused CIA spy in as many months.

Iran said in June that it hanged accused spy Jalal Hajizavar, who'd also been a defense ministry staffer.

Tehran's intelligence ministry said a year ago it dismantled a U.S. spy ring and detained 17 Iranian citizens who had worked for the CIA.

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