Iran's Supreme Court Dismisses Death Sentence For Iranian-American

Iranian-American Amir Mirza Hekmati

Iran's Supreme Court has reportedly ordered a retrial in the case of a U.S. citizen who was sentenced to death in January as an alleged spy.

Iran's semi-official Fars news agency on March 5 quoted a judiciary spokesman as saying the court had "nullified" the execution sentence against Amir Mirza Hekmati, a native-born American of Iranian descent, after finding flaws in the case.

Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine with dual U.S.-Iranian citizenship, was sentenced to death in January after Iran's Revolutionary Court ruled he was guilty of spying on behalf of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.

He was born in the United States and holds dual Iranian and U.S. citizenship. He was accused by Iran's Intelligence Ministry of receiving training at U.S. bases in neighboring Afghanistan and Iraq.

The case will now be referred to another court.

Hekmati, who was detained last year while reportedly visiting his grandparents, is currently being held in solitary confinement in Tehran's Evin prison.

With Reuters, AP, and AFP reporting