IRAN: COURT SENTENCES TWO SWEDES TO THREE YEARS IN JAIL FOR ESPIONAGE

Tehran, 2 May (AKI) - An Iranian court has sentenced two Swedes to three years in jail on espionage charges, a judicial official said on Tuesday. The head of Iranian magistrates Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi also announced that an appeals court will review the position of a French and German citizen who are detained on charges of illegally entering the territorial waters of the Islamic Republic. The two Swedes were arrested in February as they were taking photographs of the island of Ghasm.
According to Rooz on line, a website considered close to the Pasdaran Revolutionary Guards Corps, the Swedes are Israeli spies.

The two men, who have always denied the charges, were sentenced to three years in jail after a trial of just a few hours.

Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi announced that a previous ruling sentencing a French and German to 18 months in jail will be reviewed. The men were arrested in November for taking pictures of Pasdaran ships from a boat in international waters.

Citing a judicial source, Rooz on line said foreigners who were caught in the past taking pictures ior illegally entering Iran's territorial waters were released after just a few days.

According to the online paper, the arrests are connected to the current international crisis over Iran's nuclear programme. The four men could be used as 'hostages' to put pressure on Western governments should the UN Security Council decide to impose sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

The Security Council is scheduled to meet this week to decide possible punitive measures against Iran that could involve economic and military sanctions after Tehran refused to halt uranium enrichment. The Islamic Republic claims its nuclear programme is only for civilian use while the West fears it is aimed at building nuclear weapons.