Iran’s spiritual leader told visiting Austrian President Thomas Klestil that Iran “asks nobody’s permission to punish” the 13 Iranian Jews arrested in March for spying for the United States and Israel. Klestil brought up the fate of the 13 on Tuesday during what was the first visit to Iran by a European leader since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly said of the detainees, whose court appearance has yet to be scheduled, “If their crime is proved by the court, they will probably be punished.”
Reporting the stories that define our era. When history unfolds in real-time, the Jewish world turns to JTA. Your support ensures we can document the complexities of war and the resilience of Jewish communities with integrity.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.