TEHRAN, Dec 28 (Parisa Hafezi/Reuters) - Iran on Tuesday hanged an Iranian
convicted of spying for the Islamic Republic's arch foe Israel,
the official IRNA news agency quoted a statement from the
judiciary as saying.
Ali Akbar Siadat was found guilty of relaying sensitive data
to Mossad, having worked for the Israeli intelligence agency
since 2004. He was arrested four years later when he tried to
leave Iran with his wife.
Iran and Israel have been enemies since the 1979 Islamic
revolution in Iran and Tehran periodically announces the arrest
of people suspected of spying for Israel, which Iran refuses to
recognise.
Ali Akbar Siadat, who spied for Israel's Mossad, was hanged
inside the Evin prison (in Tehran) this morning, IRNA said.
He was convicted of corruption on Earth, confronting the
Islamic Republic and strengthening the Zionist regime (Israel).
Siadat confessed receiving $60,000 for transferring
classified information to Mossad on Iran's military activities,
IRNA said. The statement said he had been given special
equipment including a laptop to contact Mossad.
IRNA said Siadat met Israeli agents in Turkey, Thailand and
the Netherlands among other countries. He gave them information
on Iran's military drills, military bases, military aircraft as
well as missile systems operated by the Revolutionary Guards,
the news agency said.
A convicted Iranian, Ali Ashtari, was hanged in Iran in 2008
for working with Mossad. Israel denied any links with the case.
Iran often accuses Israel and the United States of trying to
destabilise the Islamic Republic.
Israel, believed to be the only country in the Middle East
with nuclear weapons, sides with the United States and its
allies in accusing Iran of seeking to build atomic weapons of
its own.
Iran denies this, saying it wants to use nuclear power to
generate electricity.
Israel has not ruled out military strikes on Iran if
diplomatic efforts fail to resolve the stand off over Tehran's
nuclear programme.
Iran has vowed to retaliate to any strikes with missile
salvoes on Israel and U.S. targets in the Gulf.
IRNA also said Ali Saremi, a member of the exiled opposition
group the Mujahideen Khalq Organisation, was hanged for various
offences, including moharebe or waging war against God.
Under Iran's penal code, imposed since its 1979 Islamic
revolution, espionage and waging war against God can carry the
death penalty.
(Editing by Jon Boyle)