Iran to execute American 'for being a CIA spy'

An American accused of spying on Iran was today sentenced to death in Tehran.

Former US marine Amir Mirzaei Hekmati, who holds dual American and Iranian citizenship, was found guilty of working for the CIA, a charge he denies.

The 28-year-old former military translator was born in Arizona and went to school in Michigan. His father, a professor at a community college, claims his son is not a CIA spy and was visiting his grandmothers when he was arrested.

He was seized by the Iranian secret service in August last year and last month state TV broadcast a video of Mr Hekmati delivering a purported confession.

In a statement released the same day, Iran's intelligence ministry said its agents identified him at the US Bagram airbase in neighbouring Afghanistan. The court convicted him of working with a hostile country, belonging to the CIA and trying to accuse Iran of involvement in terrorism.

In its ruling, a branch of Tehran Revolutionary Court described Mr Hekmati as a mohareb, an Islamic term that means a fighter against God, and a mofsed, one who spreads corruption on earth.

In a closed court hearing last month the prosecution asked for the death penalty for Mr Hekmati.

The US government has called on Iranian authorities to grant Swiss diplomats access to him in prison. Switzerland represents US interests in Iran because the two countries have no diplomatic relations.

The verdict was given as the US announced new, tougher sanctions against Iran over its nuclear development, which Washington believes Tehran is using to develop an atomic weapons capability. Iran, which says it only wants nuclear reactors for energy and research, has sharply increased its threats and military posturing in retaliation for US sanctions, including the targeting of Iran's Central Bank to complicate its ability to sell oil.

Iran arrested three Americans in July 2009 along the border with Iraq and accused them of espionage, although the Americans said they were just hiking in the scenic and relatively peaceful Kurdish region of northern Iraq.

One was released after a year and the other two were freed in September in deals involving bail payments brokered by the Gulf sultanate of Oman, which has good relations with Iran and the US.