DUBAI/LONDON (Reuters)Jan,14 – Iran has executed a British-Iranian man who once served as deputy defense minister, his judiciary said. Charged as a British spy.
Britain, which declared Alireza Akbari’s case to be politically motivated, condemned the execution by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak calling it “a callous and cowardly act by a barbaric regime”.
Iran’s Justice Department’s Mizan news agency reported that it did not specify when the execution took place. British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley said late Friday that Iran should not enforce the ruling.
The execution comes after long tensions with Iran and the West have continued to worsen since talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal stalled and Tehran launched a deadly crackdown on protesters last year. This is likely to make the relationship even worse. In an audio recording allegedly recorded by Akbari on Wednesday and broadcast by BBC Persian, he said he confessed to a crime he did not commit after being subjected to extensive torture.
Mizan’s report accused Akbari of receiving payments of €1,805,000, £265,000, and $50,000 to him for espionage.
Britain’s statement on the matter does not address Iran’s accusations that Akbari was spying for Britain.
Iran’s foreign ministry on Saturday summoned the British ambassador for “London’s interference in Iran’s national security,” state news agency IRNA reported.
Iranian state media, which portrays Akbari as a super-spy, aired a video on Thursday that they say played a role in the assassination of top Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who was killed in an attack outside Tehran. Israel time. In the video, Akbari did not admit to being involved in the assassination, but said British agents had asked for information about Fakhrizadeh.
Iranian state media often disseminate confessions by suspects in politically charged cases.
Akbari served as defense minister from 1997 until 2005 and is a close ally of reformist Mohammad, who served as deputy secretary-general in President Khatami’s government.
He fought in the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s as a member of the Revolutionary Guard.
It is a rare instance when the Islamic Republic has executed a current or former high-ranking official. One of the last cases was in 1984 when Iranian naval commander Bahram Afzali was executed after being accused of spying for the Soviet Union.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna summoned Iran’s acting ambassador over the execution.
Relations between Iran and the West have also been strained by Russia’s aid in Ukraine.
Britain and other Western countries, which have a long history of strained relations with Iran, condemn Tehran’s crackdown on anti-government protests in the wake of the death in custody of a young Iranian-Kurdish woman in September.
Iran has sentenced dozens of people to death and executed at least four others as part of the crackdown. In a BBC Persian audio broadcast, Akbari said he made a false confession as a result of torture.
Iranian authorities have not responded to allegations that Akbari was tortured.
In 2009 he went to Austria, then to Spain, and finally to England under the guise of treatment.
In an interview with BBC Persian on Friday, Akbari’s brother Mehdi said he returned to Iran in 2019 at Shamkhani’s invitation.
