Iran has sentenced two people to ten years in prison each for spying for the U.S. and Israel. According to Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, a spokesperson for the country’s Justice Ministry, “these two people were sentenced to 10 years in jail by the Revolutionary Court. The Judiciary welcomes and voices full preparation to improve security of domestic investment and fighting corruption in economic and other fields in attempt to facilitate access to bank and financial resources,” he said.
The Iranians did not say exactly what the two did, and it did not identify them; officials in Israel and the U.S. speculated that they were Iranian nationals.
In his statement, Ejei said that the two had been arrested and convicted for crimes committed during the “2009 post-election street unrest,” when thousands of Iranians took to the streets demanding a loosening of the tight strictures of their society.
Several Westerners, however, are on trial, including Jason Rezaian, who is the bureau chief for the Washington Post in Tehran. Rezaian was arrested for “spying” several days after an article he wrote about Iran’s severe water shortage was published in the U.S. According to the report, Iran’s water situation is so bad
It was not known if Rezaian’s sentence had already been issued. He is currently in prison in Tehran. If convicted, he could face as much as 20 years in prison.