Iran jails n-negotiator for spying in crackdown on 'Western infiltration'

A dual-nationality member of Iran's nuclear negotiating team has been jailed for five years for spying, news agency Tasnim said on Sunday.

Spokesman for the judiciary Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei named the convicted man as Abdolrasul Dori Esfahani.

Tasnim reported that he was in charge of banking affairs during the talks. According to Iranian media, he has Iranian and Canadian citizenship.

"He was one of the people accused of spying and passing intelligence to strangers and he was linked to two intelligence agencies," Ejei said.

He said Esfahani's five-year sentence was upheld after a failed appeal, Tasnim reported. Esfahani also faces charges of financial corruption, he added.

Iran reached a nuclear deal with the US and five other major powers in 2015 that led to the lifting of most international sanctions against it in return for curbs on its nuclear programme.

Security officials have arrested several businessmen, including Iranians holding joint US, European or Canadian citizenship, as part of a crackdown on "Western infiltration".

--IANS

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