Sky News reported today that Amir Mirzaei Hekmati was convicted of being a CIA spy and sentenced to death by an Iranian court. Mr. Hekmati is a former U. S. Marine. One report stated that he was carrying his military identification. Do we really believe that the CIA would send in a spy with military identification? Mr. Hekmati’s parents have stated that he was there to visit his grandparents. Mr. Hekmati holds dual citizenship in American and Iran.

The article at Sky News puts the arrest and conviction of Mr. Hekmati in context:

Three American hikers were jailed in Tehran on spying charges in 2009 after they were arrested along the Iran-Iraq border.

Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, who spent more than two years in custody, were freed on a $1m bail deal last September.

Their friend Sarah Shourd was released on bail in 2010.

Hekmati’s trial took place as Washington announced new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme.

In December, Barack Obama signed into law sanctions that will cut off from the US financial system financial institutions that work with Iran’s central bank.

Unfortunately, Mr. Hekmati is the innocent player caught in a very nasty international chess game. Iran believes that Mr. Hekmati can be used as a hostage to prevent sanctions on Iran from being implemented. If that doesn’t work, they can collect a tidy ransom. This is the kind of thing that happens when America has a weak President.