Iran is not kind to journalists. CBS’s Sixty Minutes did a piece about two journalists living in the country. One was a native of Iran, and the other was her American-born husband. They spoke of the country’s beauty and modern atmosphere. Several months after the interview, they disappeared into the country’s prison system. Jazon Rezaian spent 544 days in one of the country’s toughest prisons. The charge was espionage. As it turned out, he was just a pawn in the nuclear negotiations. Perhaps, the couple will come out as well.
Donald Trump tweeted that Iran’s claim of capturing CIA spies “Totally False. Zero Truth. Just more lies:”
‘The Report of Iran capturing CIA spies is totally false. Zero truth. Just more lies and propaganda (like their shot down drone) put out by a Religious Regime that is Badly Failing and has no idea what to do. Their Economy is dead, and will get much worse. Iran is a total mess!’
Iran captured 17 individuals it said were members of a CIA spy ring. Now, the country is saying that they had confessed to acting spies for the CIA. Of course, Iran has rather harsh methods to extract information.
The Intelligence Ministry’s formal announcement indicated that the spy mission was to obtain classified information. It read, as CNN reported:
‘Defendants serving their sentences in prison mentioning tempting promises of CIA officers including emigration to USA, a proper job in America, and money from substantial centers as well as intelligence/technical operations.’
The ministry said some of the 17 will be executed. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke on Fox & Friends morning news:
‘The Iranian regime has a long history of lying … I would take with a significant grain of salt any Iranian assertion about actions they’ve taken.’
Iran also prepared a 20-minute video in addition to the official announcement. This was an unusual move.
Twitter world caught fire. Check out some of our favorites below:
The Mueller Report Adventures: In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page. These quick, two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people. Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery. Interestingly enough, Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order.
