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Iranian Parliament in Tehran
Photo: ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH / EPA
Iran has sentenced a former top politician to death over charges of espionage.
As the justice portal Misan announced on Wednesday, Aliresa Akbari was exposed as one of the "most important agents for the British secret service".
The judgment of the Supreme Court is final.
Iran accuses Akbari of leaking state secrets.
There are repeated reports of the arrests, arrests and executions of Iranians who are accused of working for foreign secret services, above all for the Israeli Mossad or the US secret service CIA.
The Iranian data cannot usually be independently verified.
Both the arrests and trials are kept secret.
For days now, rumors have been circulating in the Iranian capital of Tehran about the identity of an imprisoned politician who has been exposed as a "master spy".
According to reports, the case could also point to an internal power struggle in Tehran.
As a high-ranking politician in the Defense Ministry, Akbari maintained close ties to politicians who were trying to mediate and reconcile after the recent wave of protests, the UK-based online medium amwaj.media reported.
The British government sided with Akbari, who also has British citizenship.
"We support Mr Akbari's family and are in contact with the Iranian authorities," said a spokesman for the British Foreign Office.
The aim is to have the judgment overturned immediately.
Iran hanged two young men on Saturday.
Mohammed-Mehdi K., 22, and Sejed-Mohammed H., 39, have been blamed for the death of a security guard during protests in November.
In December, two men were sentenced to death in connection with the demonstrations critical of the system.
The trigger for the nationwide protests in Iran was the death of Jina Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022 in police custody.
The Iranian Kurd was arrested by the so-called moral police for violating the Islamic dress code in force in Iran.
til/dpa/Reuters