According to a statement by the Iranian Judiciary public relations department, Alireza Akbari was arrested recently on espionage charges against the country.
The statement further read that after Akbari was detained by the intelligence forces, the legal authorities filed a lawsuit against him and he was put on a fair trial and was finally sentenced to execution after going through a fair proceeding based on concrete evidence.
It further said following the defendant's appeal against the verdict, the case was re-examined by the Country's Supreme Court which rejected his appeal and upheld the initial verdict.
In a relevant statement, the Iranian intelligence ministry emphasized that Akbari was one of the most important agents of the British intelligence service, who collected important information about the country and provided it to the UK in a fully informed and targeted manner numerous times.
According to the intelligence ministry's statement, the convicted spy had access to some sensitive apparatuses in the country due to the position he used to hold.
"During the process of acquiring a visa from the embassy in Tehran, this spy was approached and interviewed by the intelligence agents stationed at that embassy, and then during his trips to Europe, he became a full-fledged employee of the British intelligence service," it added.
According to the intelligence ministry, due to the importance of his position and access, Alireza Akbari becomes a key spy for the intelligence service "SIS", who was at the same time guided by and had contacts with several prominent officers of the Iran Desk at the SIS.
Some reports say that Akbari was the former deputy defense minister and an advisor to the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC).
In a statement on Wednesday, the UK government called on Iran to release Akbari, saying he was a dual national.
MNA/5680043