A new year brings new tensions between the United States and Iran. There was a bright moment when a United States naval ship rescued Iranian sailors who were taken hostage by Somali pirates. Yet yesterday Iran's judiciary sentenced Amir Mirzaei Hekmati an Iranian American to death for espionage. It claims that Hekmati spied for the CIA during a visit to Iran. Amir Hekmati has no connections to the United States government other than his citizenship and military service in Iraq. His family argued that Hekmati was on a trip to visit his grandmother who still lives in Iran. The Iranian government is giving Amir 20 days to appeal his sentence. Many believe the Iranians would not carry out the sentence but use it to push the envelope and as a bargaining chip. It will be interesting how this story will develop. This is probably the lowest point in US Iran relations since the hostage crises in 1979.
http://bostonglobe.com/news/world/2012/01/10/iran-orders-death-spy-case/9LZ9ncchostC1snu3h1HgK/story.html
No comments:
Post a Comment