Iran Rebukes U.S. on Spy Suspects Issue
Iran urged the United States on Thursday to stop meddling in its domestic affairs, in response to State Department calls for the release of 13 Iranian Jews accused of spying.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said the U.S. statements go against “international norms and rules,” Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency, or IRNA, reported.
“It is as though Iran asks the U.S. to release, before trial, all those who are arrested in the U.S. on espionage charges,” the agency, monitored in Dubai, quoted Asefi as saying.
Those accused of espionage will get justice, he said.
The 13 suspects are expected to stand trial soon on charges of spying for the U.S. and Israel.
On Wednesday, State Department spokesman James P. Rubin urged the Iranian government to release the suspects, saying none had been involved in espionage on behalf of the U.S.
Israel has said those arrested have never had contact with its intelligence agencies.
Asked Thursday about Iran’s response, Rubin said the U.S. still holds the view that the allegations against the suspects--held since March--are “without foundation.”
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