Iran Executes a Nuclear Scientist for Spying for the US

伊朗处决为美从事间谍活动的核科学家

Last week Iran executed a nuclear scientist on charges of spying for the United States, an official said Sunday.

上周六，一名官员说：伊朗处决了一名接受美国资金并为美从事间谍活动的核科学家。

Officials admitted for the first time that Shahram Amiri had been secretly detained and tried. A judicial spokesman said a court sentenced Amiri to death. Iran’s Supreme Court upheld the sentence.

官方首次承认萨哈朗阿米利已经被秘密的拘留和审讯。司法发言人说：法庭判决阿米利死刑。伊朗最高法院支持本次判决。

The spokesman said, “Amiri gave vital information about the country to the enemy,” according to Iran’s official news agency IRNA.

发言人表示：“阿米利将国家至关重要的信息泄密给敌人”根据伊朗官方通讯社IRNA报道。

The spokesman did not say why officials had not announced the sentence earlier, according to AP news agency.

根据美联社报道，发言人并没有回应官方为何没有早些宣布判决。

Iran hanged Amiri during the same week it executed a number of militants.

伊朗绞死阿米利的同一周内，也处决了许多激进分子。

Shahram Amiri, 38, was a university researcher who worked for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization. He is said to have left Iran for Saudi Arabia in 2009 to visit Muslim holy places. However, he disappeared and went to the United States.

萨哈朗阿米利，38岁，是一名高校科研人员，他在伊朗原子能组织工作。据说他在2009年离开伊朗去往沙特阿拉伯的穆斯林圣地。尽管如此，他还是消失了，并且去往美国。

While in the U.S., Amiri appeared in several videos. The AP news agency reported that the videos gave contradictory information about why he was in America.

在美期间，阿米利在一些视频中出现过。这些视频为他为何出现在美国提供了矛盾信息。

In one video, Amiri said that he had been kidnapped and that Saudi and U.S. intelligence agents held him against his will. In another, he said he wanted to study in America and return to Iran if the “opportunity of safe travel” became availa ble. His wife and son remained in Iran.

其中一部视频阿米利说：他已经被绑架了，并且沙特阿拉伯和美国情报员违背他的意愿并拘留他。另一方面，他说：他希望能在美国学习，并且如果“安全旅行的机会”变得可行的话，他还是希望能够回到伊朗。他的妻子和儿子仍留在伊朗。

U.S. officials said they paid Amiri $5 million to leave Iran and provide information about its nuclear program. At the time, Western countries were increasing efforts to limit Iran’s nuclear program under then-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

美国官方表示：他们付了阿米利5百万美元，让他离开伊朗并且提供关于伊朗核项目的信息。与此同时，西方国家正在努力限制在马哈茂德艾哈迈迪-内贾德总统控制下的伊朗核项目。

In 2010, Amiri reportedly went to the Pakistani Embassy in Washington and asked to be returned to Iran. He returned later that year.

据报道，2010年艾米利前往在华盛顿的巴基斯坦大使馆并且要求回到伊朗。2010年晚些，他回到了伊朗。

At first, Iranian officials welcomed him. AP reports that he appeared on Iranian TV as a hero.

起初，伊朗官方是欢迎他的。美联社报道他在伊朗电视台作为英雄出现。

But then he disappeared.

但随后他消失了。

The judiciary spokesman said Amiri’s family mistakenly believed that he was serving a 10-year prison sentence. Last week, news of his death reportedly appeared in a newspaper in his hometown.

司法部发言人表示：阿米利的家庭错误的以为他只是服刑10年。上周，关于他死亡的消息却出现在他家乡的报纸上。

U.S.-Iran relations

美国和伊朗的关系

For years, Iran has stated that its nuclear activities were not aimed at developing nuclear weapons. However, the U.S. says uranium particles found during an investigation last year at an Iranian military base probably came from Iran’s secret nuclear weapons program.

很多年来，伊朗开始它的核活动并不旨在发展核武器。尽管如此，美国表示：去年在伊朗军事基地的调查中发现了铀粒子，这些铀粒子很可能来自伊朗的核核武器秘密计划。

The execution of Amiri takes place one year after the United States and five world powers reached a nuclear agreement with Iran. The deal requires Iran to limit its nuclear development capabilities. In exchange, western countries lifted strong economic restrictions on Iran.

阿米利的死刑执行发生在美国和五个世界大国达成了针对伊朗的核计划协议之后。该协议要求伊朗限制其核发展能力。作为交换，西方国家解除对于伊朗的强有力的经济制裁。

I’m Mario Ritter.

马里奥报道。