Iran sentences British-Iranian to 6 years for spying

Mizan news agency quoted Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi announcing the sentencing, though he did not elaborate on what the charges entailed. However, there is no known case of a British-Iranian national being sentenced to six years in prison, suggesting this is a new case. The British Foreign Office said in a statement early Monday it was "currently investigating the reported sentencing," without elaborating. A number of dual nationals with Western ties have been arrested since Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Analysts and family members of dual nationals and others detained in Iran have suggested that hard-liners in the Islamic Republic's security agencies use the prisoners as bargaining chips for money or influence.