  Iran begins trial of U.S. citizen on spying charges December 27, 2011 - 21:13 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Iran put a US citizen of Iranian descent on trial Tuesday, December 27, on charges of spying for the CIA, with the prosecutor calling for the "maximum punishment" - presumably the death penalty, if he is convicted, AFP quoted Fars news agency. Confessions extracted from Amir Mirzai Hekmati "have made it clear that the accused cooperated with the Central Intelligence Agency and acted against (Iran's) national security. Therefore I ask for maximum punishment," the prosecutor was quoted as saying. Hekmati, a 28-year-old former US Marine born in the United States to an Iranian immigrant family, was shown on Iranian state television mid-December saying in fluent Farsi and English that he was a CIA operative sent to infiltrate the Iranian intelligence ministry. The US government says Hekmati has been falsely accused and has demanded his immediate release. It also said that the Swiss embassy, which represents US interests in Iran, had not been given access to him. Hekmati's trial opened against a backdrop of heightened tensions between arch foes Washington and Tehran. The United States is leading a Western push to ratchet up sanctions on Iran over its controversial nuclear program. Each side has accused the other of conducting clandestine operations. The United States alleged in October that Tehran had a hand in a thwarted plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington, while Iran this month showed off a CIA drone it said it captured through cyber warfare. Fars said Hekmati's trial started with the prosecutor saying Hekmati was charged with cooperating "with the hostile US government and the US espionage services of the CIA." It said Hekmati had admitted to trying to infiltrate Iran's intelligence services for the CIA, and quoted what it said was a confession by the Iranian-American. Hekmati allegedly admitted to having a first interview with the CIA in 2009 and being trained for five months before being sent to Iraq, where he said he spent nine months.   Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity  The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization.Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia.Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty.Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |
