U.S. Condemns Iranian Death Sentence For Former U.S. Marine

Amir Mizraei Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine sentenced to death in Iran, is not a spy as Iran claims, says the White House.

Iran charged that Hekmati received special training and served at U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan before heading to Iran for an intelligence mission. A court convicted him of working with a hostile country, belonging to the CIA and trying to accuse Iran of involvement in terrorism, according to a state radio report Monday…

The 28-year-old former military translator was born in Arizona and graduated from high school in Michigan. His family is of Iranian origin, and Hekmati claims dual citizenship. His father, Ali, a professor at a community college in Flint, Mich., has said his son was visiting his grandmothers in Iran.

The State Department and the White House demanded Hekmati’s immediate release Monday, but it was unclear what they could do about it. The White House said the U.S. would work with its diplomatic partners “to convey our condemnation to the Iranian government.”

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.