Iran claims it has exposed and captured 17 spies working for the CIA and some have been sentenced to death. The state-news reports, which haven’t been confirmed by the U.S. intelligence agency, said the alleged spies were employed in “sensitive and vital private-sector centers in the economic, nuclear, infrastructure, military, and cyber areas... where they collected classified information.” The semi-official Fars news agency on Monday quoted a Ministry of Intelligence official as saying some of the 17 arrested had been sentenced to death. State television broadcast pictures that it said showed the CIA officers who were in touch with the suspected spies, according to Reuters. The announcement is likely to worsen the escalating crisis between Iran and the West, which began with tighter U.S. sanctions in May.
