Iran shifts stance in spying case

Tehran - The head of Tehran's Revolutionary Court has said Iran must put its national interests first in the case of 13 Jews …

Tehran - The head of Tehran's Revolutionary Court has said Iran must put its national interests first in the case of 13 Jews charged with espionage, suggesting a possible compromise in the case.

Newspapers yesterday quoted Mr Gholamhossein Rahbarpour as saying the Iranian leadership had every right to consider the country's international standing when weighing the case. In the end, it was a political matter, not one for the courts.

Iran has been under intense pressure from Western governments and human rights groups over the fate of 13 Iranian Jews charged with spying for Israel.