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Ali Ashtari, an Iranian man sentenced to death for spying for Israel. (Reuters)
Last update - 15:31 30/06/2008
Iran hands down death sentence to 'Israeli spy'
By News Agencies
Tags: Mossad, Israel, Iran

A court has sentenced an Iranian man to death on charges of spying for Israel, Iranian media said on Monday.

Monday's report identified the convicted as Ali Ashtari, a 45-year-old tradesman in electronic merchandise who supplied military, security and defense centers across the country with electronic devices.

Iran state television quoted an unnamed official as saying Ashtari relayed sensitive information on military, defense and research centers to Israel's Mossad intelligence officers.
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The material reportedly included information on Iran's Atomic Energy Organization. The official also said Ashtari, who was arrested in 2007, tried to create a link between Iranian experts and Israeli agents. Ashtari has 20 days to appeal.

"I apologize to the Iranian people and to any organization which has been damaged because of my acts and I request Islamic clemency," the semi-official Fars News Agency quoted Ashtari as telling the court in Tehran.

Ashtari said he had accepted a loan of 50,000 Euros from Israeli agents as he had been in financial straits, Fars reported.

The sentence comes at a time of increased tension between Israel and Iran and speculation of a possible Israeli attack on the Islamic Republic's nuclear installations.

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said that Israel has no knowledge whatsoever of this case.

"Ali Ashtari, who had been accused of spying for the Zionist state and charged with engaging in espionage for (Israel's) Mossad intelligence service, has been given the death sentence," the ISNA news agency said.

Iranian media had said Ashtari was put on trial on Saturday. But an official in Israel's foreign ministry on the same day said Israel was not familiar with the case.

The ruling against Ashtari was the first time since 2000 that an Iranian court sentenced an Iranian citizen on the charge of espionage for Israel.

A closed-door trial in 2000 found 10 Iranian Jews guilty of spying for Israel and sentenced them to prison terms ranging from four to 13 years. The convicts were released later, before serving out their sentences in full.

Ashtari's conviction comes amid renewed demands for the international
community to step up diplomatic pressure on Iran over its nuclear activities.

Israel alongside the U.S. and many Western countries claims Iran's nuclear program is intended to produce nuclear weapons - which Iran denies, saying its program is for peaceful purposes, including electricity production.

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      1.   DO they rape male prisoners or only females in Evin 17:02  |  PETER SM 28/06/08
      2.   There are no trials like show trials, like no trials at all 17:15  |  Mark Lincoln 28/06/08
      3.   Iran should keep close eye on its Jewish community 18:34  |  Bobby 28/06/08
      4.   swap deal shud include h. na§§ralah 21:20  |  jonnie walker 28/06/08
      5.   Bobby 21:53  |  Connie 28/06/08
      6.   Connie - No one is the devil incarnate 23:07  |  Christian 28/06/08
      7.   Way to obfuscate, Connie 23:38  |  Bobby 28/06/08
      8.   Lebanon War II 00:50  |  Conversations 29/06/08
      9.   Lebanon War II 00:50  |  Conversations 29/06/08
      10.   Babbling Bobby 01:18  |  Mark Lincoln 29/06/08
      11.   #2 - Iran does keep a close eye on its Jewish Community 01:40  |  Slibovitz 29/06/08
      12.   In fact, Iran scrutinizes all its citizens 01:49  |  Slibovitz 29/06/08
      13.   CONVERSATIONS.Are you saying the IDF cannot adept? 02:15  |  PETER SM 29/06/08
      14.   CONVERSATIONS You do not like lobbys? You must hate this- 02:19  |  PETER SM 29/06/08
      15.   what do I care about cair? 05:50  |  Conversations 29/06/08
      16.   Pollard should have gotten the same sentence! 09:08  |  Mr. Know-It-All 30/06/08
      17.   Mossad is hilt deep in iranian intel agencies 09:37  |  Denise Thompson 30/06/08
      18.   Only one surprise 09:45  |  Natallie Durson 30/06/08
      19.   are jews trustworthy citizens? 09:52  |  ClearCut 30/06/08
      20.   spying for Israel 09:53  |  Memuneh 30/06/08
      21.   Yet Israel still does not execute terrorists 09:55  |  Binyamin Dissen 30/06/08
      22.   Judge, Jury, & Executioner - Islamic Justice Iranian Style 10:07  |  Lavi 30/06/08
      23.   Iran sentences man to death for being an Israeli spy 10:08  |  Millicent 30/06/08
      24.   LOL - Anyone else surprised that iran hasn`t caught more spies? 10:11  |  Denise Thompson 30/06/08
      25.   THAT was quick!! Islamic "justice "& death sentence in a few days 10:13  |  PETER SM 30/06/08
      26.   EL OH EL - Trying to blame this on the Jews 10:16  |  Denise Thompson 30/06/08
      27.   Rapes in Evin prison 10:20  |  Ulf 30/06/08
      28.   #18, Durson 10:26  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 30/06/08
      29.   #24, Denise Thompson 10:28  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 30/06/08
      30.   IF he spied..he should be executed 10:29  |  KMS 30/06/08
      31.   # 11 to slibovitz re: loyalties 10:34  |  eric 30/06/08
      32.   Denise Thompson- various excited posts 10:49  |  examiner 30/06/08
      33.   #30 Spying in Iran 10:51  |  Ulf 30/06/08
      34.   # 3 to bobby in washington, dc re: persian jews 10:55  |  eric 30/06/08
      35.   Fact is: Whenever there is a successful operation 10:56  |  Andreas 30/06/08
      36.   Israel should adopt the rules of its neighboring countries 11:04  |  Rafi 30/06/08
      37.   Local blowhards showcase ignorance 11:12  |  Denise Thompson 30/06/08
      38.   Andreas the uneven #35 11:23  |  WWACD 30/06/08
      39.   Spies in Iran 11:27  |  US CITIZEN 30/06/08
      40.   #Bobby A big thanks to you 11:37  |  H 30/06/08
      41.   Kohn - Mossad, what fun! 11:44  |  Natallie Durson 30/06/08
      42.   # WWACD: I`ve stated several times that to my 11:45  |  Andreas 30/06/08
      43.   Slibovitz 11:45  |  Ali 30/06/08
      44.   THERE IS ONLY ONE CURE FOR IRAN 11:47  |  MJ 30/06/08
      45.   well, just a normal affair, remember vanunu ? 11:48  |  mehmet 30/06/08
      46.   HOW convenient to whip up the mob for "Death to Israel" hysterics 11:53  |  PETER SM 30/06/08
      47.   #21 11:53  |  John mac 30/06/08
      48.   This smells of BS 11:57  |  ScotGuy 30/06/08
      49.   Connie..Jews who spy on their countries are traitors 11:57  |  Human 30/06/08
      50.   Connie..Jews who spy on their countries are traitors 11:57  |  Human 30/06/08
      51.   #35 Andreas 11:59  |  H 30/06/08
      52.   ANDREAS.AZZAM Azzam Israeli spy,freed after intervention bySharon 12:08  |  PETER SM 30/06/08
      53.   Time have changed get used to it 12:10  |  Fahim 30/06/08
      54.   denise thompson 12:11  |  mike 30/06/08
      55.   #36 Don`t worry Rafi 12:15  |  Ulf 30/06/08
      56.   # 19 Clearcut - Are MUSLIMS trustworthy citizens? 12:29  |  Paul Henzen 30/06/08
      57.   # 17 to denise thompson in ann arbor 12:30  |  eric 30/06/08
      58.   If its not the usual paranoia, maybe ...... 12:42  |  Stephen. 30/06/08
      59.   A traitor 12:55  |  annie 30/06/08
      60.   Elie Cohen 12:56  |  annie 30/06/08
      61.   24 Denise and her band of Israeli superheroes LOL 13:08  |  Michael 30/06/08
      62.   Bad Journalism! Person NOT Jewish 13:11  |  Shimon 30/06/08
      63.   go on iran, kill your own defense contractors! 13:32  |  michelle 30/06/08
      64.   israel will get iran`s nukes - michael & denise 13:39  |  michelle 30/06/08
      65.   KMS Re Slogans and spying for Israel 13:55  |  PETER SM 30/06/08
      66.   KNOW ALL What exactly was Pollard guilty of passing on? 13:57  |  PETER SM 30/06/08
      67.   Request for Islamic clemency..Mullahs are more into staying power 14:16  |  Michael J 30/06/08
      68.   building collapse in Tehran 14:22  |  Theorist 30/06/08
      69.   Ridiculous statement by Tom Regev 14:35  |  Axel 30/06/08
      70.   Nothing in this article says or implies Ashtari is Jewish! 14:46  |  Galuteus Maximus