Iran has sentenced to death an Iranian found guilty of spying for Israel, the Fars news agency reported on Monday, amid spiralling tensions state between Tehran and the Jewish.
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The sentence against Ali Ashtari, 43, who was arrested one and a half years ago, was handed down by a revolutionary court and the accused can still appeal the verdict, the agency said.
"The revolutionary court has found Ali Ashtari - a spy of the Zionist regime - to be mohareb (an enemy of god) and sentenced him to death," Fars quoted an unnamed intelligence official as saying.
"This is an initial verdict and should receive final approval. The defendant can appeal," the official added.
The verdict comes amid an intensifying war of words between Iran and its arch regional enemy Israel, which has never ruled out military action to halt the controversial Iranian nuclear drive.
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