Reza H. Akbari
Editor’s note: The following is a roundup of the most important developments reported in Iran on January 9 regarding the escalating tension between Tehran and Washington.
Iranian-American Citizen Sentenced to Death
On Monday the Iranian Revolutionary Court sentenced an Iranian-American citizen and former U.S. Marine to death. The 28-year-old Amir Mirzaei Hekmati was accused of spying for the Central Intelligence Agency. According to various Iranian media, Hekmati was given the death sentence for “his collaboration with a hostile government [the United States], membership in the United States’ intelligence organizations, and attempting to accuse Iran of terrorism.”
It is not clear what the Iranian government is trying to achieve by arresting Amir Hekmati, but according to BBC Persian, on December 23, Ahmad Jannati, the Head of the Guardian Council, announced during his Friday prayer sermon, “The American spy is good bait. He has a lot of information, which should be extracted from him during interrogation.”
He was also accused of being a Mohareb, enemy of God, which is considered to be the highest crime in Islamic law. According to the Iranian media, Hekmati responded to the questions of the judge by “defending himself and confessing to the accusations of his involvement with the CIA and attempting to infiltrate Iran’s intelligence apparatus.” Hekmati admitted in the court that “he had been deceived by the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency.”
“I entered Iran with the mission to infiltrate the Islamic Republic’s intelligence apparatus. I was supposed to become a source of information for the CIA, but I personally did not want to harm Iran. I wanted to stay in Iran and not return to the United States,” Hekmati mentioned in court.
On December 18, Iran’s state television broadcasted a program entitled “confessions of an American Spy” in which Hekmati “confessed” to his collaboration with the CIA. According to a following report published by Fars News, a semiofficial news agency close to the IRGC, the accused admitted to staying in the Bagram U.S. military air base in Afghanistan for two months prior to his trip to Iran. According to this report, Hekmati confessed to receiving intelligence training during his stay at this base.
According to the Iranian Students’ News Agency, the spokesman for the judiciary has announced that “the sentence was submitted to [Hekmati’s] attorney and the ruling can be objected in the Supreme Court.” Typically, Iran’s Supreme Court has to approve of such sentences before they are carried out.
Hekmati’s family told U.S. media outlets that their son traveled to Iran to visit his grandmothers and he had even received permission from the Iranian Interest section in Washington D.C.
Extending Nuclear Enrichment
On Saturday the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Fereydoon Abbasi-Davani announced that new nuclear enrichment facilities will soon be open at the Fordow underground site. Abbasi-Davani announced that the site will soon be operational and it will be “capable of producing enriched uranium with concentrations of 3.5%, 4%, and 20%.”
Months ago Iran announced that it is relocating its enrichment facility from the “less secure Natanz location” to the fortified underground site at Fordow near the city of Qom. The IRGC claims the new location is protected by air defense batteries and it could withstand a potential air strike by Israel or the United States. According to the Iranian media, toward the end of September, Abbasi-Davani announced the main reason behind the relocation of the enrichment facilities has been the military threats by the United States and its allies.
Also, a few days before the start of the new round of negotiations between Iran and the 5+1 group (the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany) Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization announced it has succeeded in building and testing the “first sample of a nuclear fuel rod containing uranium.”
Iran continues to claim its nuclear program is for civilian purposes, while the United States and the European Union highly doubt the Islamic Republic’s intensions. The U.S. and Israel believe all options remain open if Iran continues its enrichment program.
New Naval Exercises in the Persian Gulf
Iran’s IRGC naval commander, Real Admiral Ali Fadavi, announced that the IRGC navy will continue its naval maneuvers in the Persian Gulf and the strategic Strait of Hormuz during the month of February.
According to Fars News, Fadavi announced “the Islamic Republic has complete control over this region and it controls all the movements within it.” This announcement came two days after Iran’s navy concluded its set of naval exercises east of the Strait of Hormuz.
Some Iranian military and political officials have threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz if the West attacks the county or sanctions its oil exports. Since the initial threats many Iranian officials have backed down. According to BBC Persian, Ahmad Vahidi, the Iranian Defense Minister, announced on Monday, “We did not say we will close the Strait of Hormuz.”
Vahidi added, “The Islamic Republic of Iran is the most important provider of security in the Strait of Hormuz…if anyone decides to endanger the stability of the Persian Gulf, concurrently it will endanger the security of the Strait of Hormuz.”