US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday dismissed Iran's claims that it has uncovered a CIA spy network inside the Islamic Republic and detained 17 alleged spies
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd July, 2019) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday dismissed Iran's claims that it has uncovered a CIA spy network inside the Islamic Republic and detained 17 alleged spies."The Iranian regime has a long history of lying," Pompeo told Fox News. "It's part of the nature of the ayatollah to lie to the world. I would take with a significant grain of salt any Iranian assertion about actions that they've taken."
Earlier on Monday, the director of the Iranian Intelligence Ministry's counterespionage department said that Tehran uncovered a CIA network operating in its territory. The Tasnim news agency reported that the network was discovered on June 18, and that some of the alleged spies have been sentenced to death while other received lengthy jail terms.
The relationship between the United States and Iran has been progressively deteriorating since Trump unilaterally withdrew his country from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known as Iran nuclear deal, last spring. Since then, in a succession of restrictive measures, Washington has put almost all major economy sectors of Iran under sanctions.
In May, Tehran announced its own decision to partially suspend obligations under the deal and giving the other signatories France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia, China and the European Union 60 days to save the accord by facilitating oil exports and trade with Iran. As the deadline expired, Iran said it would begin enriching uranium beyond the 3.67 percent level, set in the JCPOA, warning it would gradually abandon its nuclear commitments every 60 days.
