Iran to execute man convicted of spying on whereabouts of Qasem Soleimani

Iran on June 9 said that it will execute a man convicted for spying on the country's Quds Force, whose general was killed by the United States earlier this year. According to reports, the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic has upheld the death sentence of Mahmoud Mousavi Majd, who was convicted of spying for Israel and the United States for large sums of money. A spokesperson for the judiciary in a televised press conference on Tuesday said that the death sentence will be carried out soon. 

Read: Iran Claims To Be Open To Conducting More Prisoner Exchanges With US

According to reports, Mahmoud Mousavi Majd was allegedly paid large sums of money by Israel's Mossad and the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to report on General Qasem Soleimani's whereabouts. Mahmoud Mousavi Majd has also been convicted for spying on Iran's armed forces. Iran in December last year said that it had arrested eight people linked to the CIA and the protests that had taken place a month before in the country over rising oil prices. The Iranian government had clamped down on protesters killing hundreds and injuring thousands. 

Read: Iran's Rouhani Says A Wedding Party Contributed To New Surge In COVID-19 Cases

US-Iran tensions

The United States in January this year killed top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in an airstrike near Baghdad airport. Iran in retaliation attacked US and NATO bases in Iraq with missiles. Tensions between the two nations grew after US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal that was signed during the Obama era in 2015. In April, Iran launched its first military satellite into the Earth's orbit, raising eyebrows in Washington. The United States worries that the launch will help Iran develop ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons. 

Read: Afghans Denounce Iranian Police As Refugees' Death In Car Blaze Triggers Anger

Read: Russia Defends Iran's Right To Explore Space After US Objection Over Satellite Launch

(Image Credit: AP) (With inputs from agency)