dubai: Iranian state media released a video on Thursday in which they said Alireza Akbari, a national of Britain and Iran, was detained for spying and the assassination of the country’s top nuclear scientist in 2020. said he had shown his involvement in
In the video, Akbari did not confess to any involvement in the assassination of scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who was killed in a 2020 attack outside Tehran, but said British agents had asked for information about him.
In another recording broadcast by the BBC Persian on Wednesday, former Iranian deputy defense minister Akbari said he had confessed to a crime he had not committed during months of torture in custody.
In the video, Akbari does not say with whom he shared any information, if any.
“They wanted to know about the high-ranking officials according to major developments … For example, he (the British agent) asked me if Fahrizadeh could be involved in this or that project and I asked why. Akbari said in a video broadcast by Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA, one of several clips aired on Thursday.
Reuters was unable to immediately confirm the authenticity of the video and audio, or when and where they were recorded.
Iranian state media reported Wednesday that Iran had sentenced Akbari to death for spying for Britain. Akbari holds dual Iranian and British citizenship.
The UK Foreign Office declined to comment on the video.
On Wednesday, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley called for his immediate release, saying the planned execution was politically motivated. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday that securing his immediate release was a priority.
Relations between London and Tehran have deteriorated in recent months as efforts to revive Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal, of which the UK is one of the parties, have stalled.
The UK has also criticized the Islamic Republic’s violent crackdown on anti-government protests in the wake of the death in custody of a young Iranian Kurdish woman in September.
suspected spy
Fakhrizadeh was widely viewed by Western intelligence agencies as the mastermind behind Iran’s covert efforts to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran denied it.
Iran’s state media often air alleged confessions by suspects in politically charged cases.
Akbari was found guilty of “global corruption and widespread actions against Iran’s internal and external security by communicating information to Britain,” the Justice Department’s Mizan news agency said.
His appeal was dismissed by the Supreme Court.
In an audio recording broadcast by the BBC Persian, Akbari said he was subjected to extensive torture while in custody.
“I was interrogated and tortured for more than 3,500 hours in 10 months. ,” Akbari said in an audio message.
Akbari was a close ally of Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, who served as defense minister from 1997 to 2005, for whom Akbari was acting.
“During the tenure of President Rouhani (former Hassan), I obtained classified information from President Shamkhani and was accused in exchange for perfume and shirts,” Akbari said in an audio message.
Another video, aired by Iran’s state news agency IRNA, was captioned: “Akbari was briefly detained in 2008, released on bail and then moved to the UK.” Another video showed Akbari blindfolded in a car.
Reuters could not immediately confirm if Akbari moved to Britain in 2008 or when he returned to Iran.
In a voice message, Akbari said he had returned to Tehran after receiving an invitation from a senior Iranian diplomat involved in nuclear talks between Tehran and world powers. – Reuters
