Iran nuclear spying trials set to start in August

Khaleej Times:

Two men accused of spying on Iran’s nuclear facilities will go on trial in August, a spokesman for the Iranian judiciary said on Tuesday.

Iran said last year it had arrested 10 people for spying on nuclear facilities on behalf of the United States and Israel, three of them working in the state atomic programme. READ MORE

“The trial session for one of those accused of being a nuclear spy is set for August 2,” spokesman Jamal Karimirad was quoted as saying by the ISNA students news agency.

“Proceedings for the other will start on August 20,” he added.

Karimirad said a third suspect had already been tried in a Revolutionary Court, reserved for cases of national security, but no sentence had been passed.

Washington says it believes Iran’s nuclear programme is a smokescreen for building atomic weapons but Tehran insists it needs nuclear power to meet domestic demand for electricity.

The European Union has offered Iran political and economic incentives to try to get it to stop making nuclear fuel.

The EU’s “big three” -- Britain, France and Germany -- are due to submit detailed proposals by early August to try to break the impasse in talks with Iran.

Officials have said the victory of hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in last week’s presidential election will have little bearing on nuclear policy, which is steered by officials answerable to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.