Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses. Share the link of this article with your facebook friends

 

Iran Releases More Details on 17 Captured CIA Agents Spying on Sensitive Centers, Pompeo Dismisses it

July 22, 2019

 

Iranian piece of evidencee of US spying (several photos of persons and documents were also released, on July 22, 2019).

 

Iran Releases More Details on 17 Captured CIA Agents Spying on Sensitive Centers

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iranian intelligence and security forces on Monday released more details about 17 CIA spies captured last year, saying that they had all received interrogation techniques and were tasked with spying on the country's sensitive centers.

The director-general of the intelligence ministry's counterespionage department said in a press conference in Tehran on Monday that the detained spies had been trained by the CIA and were captured inside the country.

"The rulings for these spies have been issued and a number of them will be executed as corruptors on Earth," he added.

Identified spies are staffs of sensitive and significant centers and their counterpart private sectors, working as contractors or consultors.

These centers include economic, nuclear, infrastructural, military and cyber fields.

Totally, 17 spies have been identified who were operating in unlinked cells.

"Since CIA abuses the process of US visa application, some of the Iranian citizens get into the visa trap and they are asked to be hired as spies in return for a US visa. Some others who intended to maintain or extend their visas, have been framed up by the CIA, in violation of the US laws," the intelligence ministry official said, and added, "Some of the CIA's baits managed to escape this trap with the help of their lawyers."

"Through establishing windon companies and under the pretext of hiring Iranian specialists in these corporations or supplying equipment from abroad, the CIA arranges to get up approaches to Iranian citizens," he added.

Direct propaganda of CIA officers under "diplomatic titles" to Iranian citizens on the sidelines of scientific conferences in European, African, and Asian countries was one of the intelligence approach methods. In some cases, CIA officers introduced themselves as an American intelligence agent and then through E-mails or messages in social networks invited users of these networks to intelligence cooperation.

Tempting promises of CIA officers, including emigration to USA, a proper job in America, and money has been among other ways used by the US intelligence body to hire spies, the intelligence ministry said, and added, "Even, medical aid abroad had been promised to some spies, but none of them came true."

"Something in common among all members of this network is the promise to guarantee spies safety both in and outside Iran and the full assurance about not being detected by Iran counter espionage, the official said.

Later it released the photos of the CIA handlers of the captured spies as well as some relevant documents pertaining the case.

Collecting classified information from substantial centers as well as intelligence-technical operations, were the assigned missions to this network, according to the official.

He said all individuals had been trained by CIA officers in complicated courses about how to set up a safe communication from inside Iran to abroad.

CIA has used intelligence concealment containers to transfer safe communication tools and super advanced spywares for its network in Iran. Most of these containers had been prepared in shape of stones and those mentioned tools were embedded inside and spies have been assigned to retrieve them from different urban districts like parks, mountains, and so on, by using a complex procedure.

"Using containers, CIA has also sent fake identification documents for its spies in order to be used for special operations. Investigations showed that CIA has used governmental fabrication unprofessionally to provide these bogus documents. After discovery of this subject by counter espionage, CIA officers ordered their spies to evanesce all available documents," the official added.

Despite their promise for total security, having predicted the probable compromise of this network (like what happened in 1392), CIA had put emergency exit on the agenda of spies in case of dangerous or critical situations. "Accordingly, spies had been trained and in case of danger, they should have contacted CIA and reach out to specific points in border cities, then wait for the presence of CIA bridge agent to follow his/her leads for evacuation. Of course, those spies intended to have emergency escape, have met counter espionage contact instead of CIA contact at the border and were captured. Counter interrogation training was another measure adopted for the arrest time. But when spies confronted the information dominance of the intelligence ministry, their tricks didn't work and all of them made confessions," he added.

According to the official, individuals who knowingly and deliberately betrayed the country and refused to compensate for the losses, have been handed over to the judiciary system.

"Others, who honestly cooperated with the security system and their remorsefulness have been proved, have been managed with intelligence direction against Americans," he added.

"Successful exchange of experience with intelligence allies in last year, made it possible to share intelligence clues of the case (such as CIA officers information, clues, and intelligence techniques used by this network) with their intelligence services and create another global failure for CIA," he reiterated.

Due to the use of CIA from some European and Asian countries to make connection with its sources and regarding the prior knowledge of these countries' intelligence services about this subject, certainly all the responsibilities lie with these countries.

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980431000361

***

Pompeo dismisses Iran's announcement that it captured U.S. spies

July 22, 2019, WASHINGTON (Reuters) -

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday dismissed Iran’s announcement it had captured 17 spies working for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and sentenced some to death.

Iran made the announcement in state media, saying the alleged spies had been arrested in the 12 months to March 2019. Such announcements are not unusual in Iran, but the timing has raised concerns that Tehran is hardening its position in its standoff with Western powers.

“The Iranian regime has a long history of lying ... I would take with a significant grain of salt any Iranian assertion about actions that they’ve taken,” Pompeo said in an interview with Fox News Channel.

Pompeo declined to comment about any specific cases, but added: “There’s a long list of Americans that we are working to get home from the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

In recent weeks, the United States has blamed Iran for a string of incidents in the Strait of Hormuz, an important shipping alley in the oil trade bordering one coast of Iran. Iran has denied the accusations.

On Friday, Iran seized a British-flagged oil tanker in the strait. Tehran had previously warned it would retaliate after the Britain captured an Iranian tanker off the coast of Gibraltar.

Asked about any possible U.S. role in the tensions, Pompeo said, “The responsibility ... falls to the United Kingdom to take care of their ships.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-iran-usa-spies-pompeo/pompeo-dismisses-irans-announcement-that-it-captured-u-s-spies-idUSKCN1UH19P

Iran says it arrests CIA spies, Gulf tensions simmer

Michael Georgy, July 22, 2019

DUBAI (Reuters) -

Iran announced on Monday it had captured 17 spies working for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and sentenced some of them to death, deepening a crisis between the Islamic Republic and the West.

Iranian state television published images that it said showed the CIA officers who had been in touch with the suspected spies.

In a statement read on state television, the Ministry of Intelligence said 17 spies had been arrested in the 12 months to March 2019. Some have been sentenced to death, according to another report.

Such announcements are not unusual in Iran, and are often made for domestic consumption. But the timing suggests Tehran could harden its position in a standoff with Western powers which has raised fears of a direct military confrontation.

In recent weeks the United States has blamed Iran for attacks on shipping near the Strait of Hormuz, the global oil trade’s most important waterway, accusations Iran has denied.

The United States and Iran have downed drones operated by the other side and on Friday, Iran captured a British-registered tanker, the Stena Impero, in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran had previously warned it would respond to Britain’s seizure of an Iranian tanker off Gibraltar on July 4.

There was no immediate comment on the Iranian allegations by the CIA or U.S. officials.

Iran announced in June that it had broken up an alleged CIA spy ring but it was unclear whether Monday’s announcement was linked to the same case.

BRITAIN’S NEXT MOVE

Prime Minister Theresa May’s office has said she would chair a meeting of Britain’s COBR emergency response committee early on Monday to discuss the tanker crisis and the government was expected to announce its next steps in parliament.

As Britain weighed its next move a recording emerged showing the Iranian military defied a British warship when it boarded and seized the Stena Impero, underscoring the challenges Britain faces responding.

Experts on the region say there are few obvious steps London can take at a time when the United States has already imposed the maximum possible economic sanctions, banning all Iranian oil exports worldwide.

Washington imposed the sanctions after President Donald Trump pulled out of a deal signed by his predecessor Barack Obama, which had provided Iran access to world trade in return for curbs on its nuclear program.

European countries including Britain have been caught in the middle. They disagreed with the U.S. decision to quit the nuclear deal but have so far failed to offer Iran another way to receive the deal’s promised economic benefits.

In Tokyo, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday that Japan wants to make every effort to reduce tension between the United States and Iran before responding to an expected U.S. request to send its navy to safeguard strategic waters off Iran.

Japanese media have said Washington’s proposal to boost surveillance of vital Middle East oil shipping lanes off Iran and Yemen could be on the agenda during a visit to Tokyo this week by U.S. national security adviser John Bolton.

“We have a long tradition of friendship with Iran and I’ve met with its president any number of times, as well as other leaders,” Abe told a news conference after his coalition’s victory in a Sunday election for parliament’s upper house.

“Before we make any decisions on what to do, Japan would like to make every effort to reduce tensions between Iran and the United States.”

The United States is struggling to win its allies’ support for an initiative to heighten surveillance of vital Middle East oil shipping lanes because of fears it will increase tension with Iran, six sources familiar with the matter said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-iran/iran-says-it-arrests-cia-spies-gulf-tensions-simmer-idUSKCN1UH16E

***

Share the link of this article with your facebook friends