British-Iran dual citizen Alireza Akbari, who was arrested for allegedly spying for the MI6 in the United Kingdom, was executed in Iran Jan. 14.
The Iranian government deemed Akbari a "super-spy,” according to a Jan. 15 Al-Jazeera report.
“The United States stands firmly with the UK in strongly condemning Iran’s execution of Iranian-British dual national Alireza Akbari. We mourn with his loved ones and will continue to hold Iran accountable for its sham trials and politicized executions,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a post on Twitter.
Akbari was arrested in 2019 after returning from the UK for a state-sanctioned visit where Akbari was to advise the Iranian government about a nuclear deal, Al-Jazeera reported.
The Iranian judicial news agency claimed Akbari was paid €1,805,000, £265,000 and $50,000 from the UK security services using bank accounts in Austria, Spain and the UK, the Guardian reported. The new agency said Akbari was given citizenship in the UK for information provided and that British intelligence arranged for him to be given indefinite leave to remain and paid for his accommodation.
Immediately following the execution, the UK sanctioned Iran Prosecutor General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, according to a UK news release.
“The prosecutor general is at the heart of Iran’s barbaric use of the death penalty for political ends. Sanctioning him today underlines our disgust at Alireza Akbari's execution and our commitment to holding the regime to account for its appalling human rights violations," UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said, according to the release.
