Reuters - Iranian authorities have arrested five Iranians on charges of spying for Israel, Britain and Germany, convicting and handing down prison sentences on at least two of them, the judiciary said on Tuesday.

�In recent months, five Iranians who were spying for foreign intelligence services have been arrested,� judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said in a virtual news conference.

Shahram Shirkhani spied for British intelligence services and tried to recruit some Iranian officials for Britain�s MI6 agency, Esmali said.

Shirkhani had passed on classified information about Iran�s Central Bank and Defence Ministry contracts, he said. He has been convicted and received a prison sentence.

Masoud Mosaheb, who was secretary-general of the Iran-Austria friendship association, also has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for spying for Israel�s Mossad and the German intelligence services, the spokesman said.

He gave no details on the other three detainees.


Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Angus MacSwan