A US citizen of Iranian descent was sentenced to death in the Islamic Republic after being convicted of spying for the CIA, the Fars news agency reported Monday.

Amir Mirzai Hekmati was “sentenced to death for cooperating with a hostile nation, membership of the CIA and trying to implicate Iran in terrorism,” Fars reported the verdict as saying.

Hekmati went on trial in Tehran on Dec. 27 on charges of spying for the CIA. At the time, the prosecution called for the “maximum penalty” to be imposed.

The Arizona-born former Marine was accused of being on a mission to infiltrate Iran’s intelligence service when he was arrested in the Islamic Republic on Aug. 29, following a tip from Iranian agents operating in Iraq.

The 28 year old’s family denied the claim, saying it was “absolutely, positively” wrong and that Hekmati was forced to lie and confess to being an agent in an Iranian state television broadcast earlier this month.

Hekmati was seen apparently confessing to his “mission” in fluent Farsi and English.

The US government has said that Hekmati was falsely accused and demanded his immediate release. The State Department said Iran has not permitted diplomats from the Swiss embassy — which handles US interests in the absence of US-Iran ties — to see Hekmati before or during his trial, AFP reported.

Iran also announced that “several” other US spies were arrested and accused of planning to disrupt upcoming parliamentary elections, Fars reported.

(Source: Newscore)