TEHRAN, Iran
\nIran has executed British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari, the judiciary\u2019s Mizan news agency reported, after sentencing him to death on charges of spying for Britain.
\n\u201cAlireza Akbari, who was sentenced to death on charges of corruption on earth and extensive action against the country\u2019s internal and external security through espionage for the British government\u2019s intelligence service … was executed,\u201d Mizan said in a tweet on Saturday,
\nIt accused him of receiving 1,805,000 euros, 265,000 pounds, and $50,000 for spying.
\nBritish Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said earlier that Iran must not follow through with the execution of Akbari, a former Iranian deputy defence minister.
\nBritain had described the death sentence as politically motivated and called for his immediate release.
\nThe United States had also joined Britain in calling for Tehran to stand down on \u201cpossibly imminent\u201d plans to execute Akbari.
\nUS diplomat Vedant Patel said on Friday that \u201cthe charges against Alireza Akbari and his sentencing were politically motivated. His execution would be unconscionable.\u201d
\n\u201cWe are greatly disturbed by the reports that Mr Akbari was drugged, tortured while in custody, interrogated for thousands of hours and forced to make false concessions,\u201d Patel said.
\nIranian state media said on Thursday that 61-year-old Akbari had once been a high-level intelligence official with the country\u2019s defence and security establishment.
\nTop British diplomat James Cleverly earlier this week urged Iran to halt Akbari\u2019s execution, which he has also called \u201cpolitically motivated.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TEHRAN, Iran Iran has executed British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari, the judiciary\u2019s Mizan news agency reported, after sentencing him to death on charges of spying for Britain. \u201cAlireza Akbari, who was sentenced to death on charges of corruption on earth and extensive action against the country\u2019s internal and external security through espionage for the British government\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":307551,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-307518","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n