An Iranian nuclear scientist was executed earlier this week due to reports that he was spying for the United States.
Sharahm Amiri had claimed he was kidnapped by the CIA, and he had been in Iranian custody since 2010. His disappearance in 2009 while on a religious pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia arose suspicion amongst Iranian officials. Tehran, the capital of Iran, accused Washington of being behind the kidnapping and disappearance of Amiri. Washington denied such allegations, but a year later Amiri surfaced as a resident in Arizona, living there by his own volition.
But this video did contradict a previous recording of Amiri stating that he was living in fear and was hiding from the CIA somewhere in the state of Virginia. In July of 2010, however, Amiri went to the embassy of Pakistan in Washington and reiterated his initial claim of having been kidnapped.
U.S officials, however, released a statement that seems to have condemned Amiri to his fate. They said Amiri defected out of choice and provided “useful information to the United States.” An email exchanged between a U.S official and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was revealed to the public. It had been sent to Clinton two weeks before Amiri was returned to Iran.
Amiri accused the CIA of forcing him to endure “psychological warfare and pressure that was much worse than being in prison.” However, the United States reported Amiri received $5 million for his cooperation and they had taken the lengths to offer him the opportunity to settle in the United States.
While it remains unclear which side is telling the truth, it has been speculated that the pressure for Amiri to see his family and clear his name were some of the major reasons for his slandering. But the allegations were not enough as the Iranian high court dealt the heaviest verdict they could give.
In Iran, one can face a minimal of 10 years of prison, or be executed if found guilty for treason. According to judicial spokesperson Hojjat al-Eslam Mehdi Mohensi-Ejehei, Amiri’s case had been circulated amongst the lower courts, where the unanimous call was for execution.
“Shahram Amiri had access to the system’s top secrets and had gotten connected with our number one enemy the Great Satan,” said Mohensi-Ejehei after the verdict was given. “Great Satan,” or known as Shaytan-e Bozorg, is a derogatory epitaph for the United States.
Amiri was hanged in an unknown location, according to his family via Persian language tv networks.
