(Bloomberg) -- Some of the 17 Iranians detained on charges of spying for the CIA were active members of the military and security forces, state-run Fars news agency reported, citing judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili.
Iran said earlier this week that it had handed down death sentences to several nationals accused of being part of a CIA-trained spy network uncovered earlier this year. The 17 citizens are accused of spying for the U.S. on the Islamic Republic's nuclear and military facilities as well as economic interests. U.S. officials have dismissed the claims.
Iran Says It Will Execute Group of Alleged CIA-Trained Spies
The announcement of the arrests and death sentences marked a show of force by Iran at a time of turbulent ties with the U.S. after the Trump administration withdrew from the 2015 nuclear accord and reimposed crippling sanctions on the Iranian economy.
To contact the reporters on this story: Golnar Motevalli in Tehran at gmotevalli@bloomberg.net;Ladane Nasseri in Dubai at lnasseri@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alaa Shahine at asalha@bloomberg.net, Amy Teibel, Mark Williams
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