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Suspected Spies In Iran Could Be Facing Death Penalty: Report

The Iranian flag flutters in front the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna, Austria March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger/File Photo

REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger/File Photo

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Audrey Conklin Reporter
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Iran could be using the death penalty on several individuals who were arrested on suspicion of spying for the United States, according to state media Tuesday.

The announcement came less than two weeks after the regime reported it executed Jalal Haji Zawar, a former employee of the Ministry of Defense’s aerospace arm, after charges of spying for the U.S. CIA.

The suspects were arrested after allegedly spying for the U.S. “in military and nuclear bodies,” Reuters reported Tuesday, citing state media. (RELATED: Trump On Rising Iran Tensions: ‘No More John Kerry And Obama!’)

Iranians burn an image of US President Donald Trump during an anti-US demonstration outside the former US embassy headquarters in the capital Tehran on May 9, 2018. - Iranians reacted with a mix of sadness, resignation and defiance on May 9 to US President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear deal, with sharp divisions among officials on how best to respond. For many, Trump's decision on Tuesday to pull out of the landmark nuclear deal marked the final death knell for the hope created when it was signed in 2015 that Iran might finally escape decades of isolation and US hostility. (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iranians burn an image of US President Donald Trump during an anti-US demonstration outside the former US embassy headquarters in the capital Tehran on May 9, 2018. (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Iranian judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said several suspects were arrested less than a year ago and face possible death sentences, according to Iran state TV.

“Two of the defendants, who were not military, have received long prison terms,” Esmaili said.

Tensions between the U.S. and Iran escalated after two oil tankers were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz on June 13 and a U.S. Navy drone was shot down June 20. President Donald Trump said he was planning to move forward with additional sanctions on Iran on June 22.

Iran came under scrutiny Monday for reportedly stockpiling more low-enriched uranium than allowed under the 2015 nuclear deal. (RELATED: Iran Surpasses Nuclear Fuel Stockpile Limit, State Media Reports)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on European countries to place sanctions on Iran for the alleged breach.

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