13 Held on Spy Charges in Iran May Face Death

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The head of Iran’s judiciary said Friday that 13 Iranian Jews held on charges of spying for Israel and the United States could face the death penalty, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

“The laws [in Iran] have their own prescriptions which at certain instances provide for the capital punishment of spies,” the agency, monitored in Dubai, quoted the Ayatollah Mohammed Yazdi as telling thousands of worshipers attending Friday prayers at Tehran University.

U.S. and Israeli officials have called for the immediate release of the 13 suspects, saying the charges were unfounded. The suspects were recently arrested in the southern city of Shiraz.