Accused US spy faces Iran execution

Iran is seeking the death penalty for an American man accused of working for the CIA.

Prosecutors have applied for capital punishment because Amir Mirzaei Hekmati "admitted that he received training in the United States and planned to imply that Iran was involved in terrorist activities in foreign countries" after returning to the US, according to reports.

The prosecutor in a closed court hearing said Hekmati entered Iran's intelligence department three times.

Under Iranian law spying can lead to death penalty only in military cases .

Hekmati's lawyer, who was identified only by his surname, Samadi, denied the charges. He said Iranian intelligence blocked Hekmati from infiltrating, and under the Iranian law, intention to infiltrate is not a crime.

The lawyer said Hekmati was deceived by the CIA. No date for the next court hearing was released.

Hekmati, 28, was born in Arizona. His family is of Iranian origin. His father, who lives in Michigan, said his son is not a CIA spy and was visiting his grandmothers in Iran when he was arrested.

Because his father is Iranian, Hekmati is considered an Iranian citizen.

Iran says that as a US Marine, he received special training and served at US military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan before heading to Iran for his alleged intelligence mission.