DUBAI: Iranian state media published a video on Thursday in which British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari, sentenced to death for spying, said he played a role in the 2020 assassination of the country’s top nuclear scientist.
In a separate audio recording broadcast by BBC Persian on Wednesday, Akbari said he was tortured in detention over months to confess to crimes he had not committed.
Iran sentenced the former deputy defense minister, who holds dual Iranian-British citizenship, to death on charges of spying for Britain, Iranian state media reported on Wednesday.
Britain described the death sentence as politically motivated and called for his immediate release. British officials did not immediately comment about the video clips aired by Iran’s state media.
“They wanted to know about high-ranking officials depending on the major developments ... for example he (the British agent) asked me whether Fakhrizadeh could be involved in such and such projects and I said why not,” Akbari said in one of the video clips.
Scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, killed in a 2020 attack outside Tehran, was widely seen by Western intelligence as the mastermind of clandestine Iranian efforts to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran denied that.
Iran’s state media often airs purported confessions by suspects in politically charged cases.
In the audio recording broadcast by BBC Persian, Akbari said he was forced to confess to crimes he had not committed.
“I was interrogated and tortured for over 3,500 hours in 10 months. All of that were recorded on camera ...By using the force of gun and making death threats they made me confess to false and baseless claims,” Akbari said in the audio message.
Akbari was a close ally of Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council who served as defense minister from 1997 to 2005 when Akbari was his deputy.
“He was one of the most important agents of the British intelligence service in Iran who had access to some very sensitive centers in the country,” Iran’s Intelligence Ministry said. “Akbari had fully, knowingly provided information to the enemy’s spy service.”
Iran video links detained British-Iranian to death of nuclear scientist
https://arab.news/mjpu7
Iran video links detained British-Iranian to death of nuclear scientist
- In a separate audio recording broadcast by BBC Persian on Wednesday, Akbari said he was tortured in detention over months to confess to crimes he had not committed
- Britain described the death sentence as politically motivated and called for his immediate release
US announces ‘large-scale’ strikes against Daesh in Syria
- CENTCOM said operation ordered by President Donald Trump
- Launched in response to the deadly Dec. 13 Daesh attack in Palmyra
WASHINGTON: US and allied forces carried out “large-scale” strikes against the Daesh group in Syria on Saturday in response to an attack last month that left three Americans dead, the US military said.
“The strikes today targeted Daesh throughout Syria” and were part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, which was launched “in direct response to the deadly Daesh attack on US and Syrian forces in Palmyra, Syria” on December 13, US Central Command said in a statement on X.
CENTCOM said the operation was ordered by President Donald Trump following the ambush and is aimed at “root(ing) out Islamic terrorism against our warfighters, prevent(ing) future attacks, and protect(ing) American and partner forces in the region.”
The statement continued: “If you harm our warfighters, we will find you and kill you anywhere in the world, no matter how hard you try to evade justice,” adding that US and coalition forces remain “resolute in pursuing terrorists who seek to harm the United States.”
The statement did not note whether anyone was killed in the strikes. The Pentagon declined to comment on more details and the State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
About 1,000 US troops remain in Syria, while Syria has been cooperating with a US-led coalition against Daesh, reaching an agreement late last year when President Ahmed Al-Sharaa visited the White House.
* With Agencies
