Ex-CIA officer convicted of leaking anti-Iran operation detailsJanuary 27, 2015 - 11:18 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A former CIA officer has been convicted of leaking classified details of a US operation against Iran to a reporter, BBC News said. Jeffrey Sterling denied the leak but was found guilty in a Virginia court of all nine counts he faced. New York Times reporter James Risen was the recipient of what former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice testified was one of the most closely held secrets. But he was not called to give evidence because he said he would never reveal his sources, even if jailed. The US operation to thwart Iran's nuclear plans involved using a CIA agent nicknamed Merlin to pass on erroneous nuclear blueprints to Iran. Mr Risen's book State of War described this plan as botched and counter-productive because they could have armed Iran with nuclear expertise. Defence lawyers admitted the journalist and former agent had a relationship, laid bare in phone calls and emails, but they argued there was no evidence the two men discussed anything classified. Sterling will be sentenced in April. Related links: Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Russia sends note of protest to Armenia over envoy’s trip to Ukraine’s Bucha Russia has sent a note of protest to Armenia over the visit of Vladimir Karapetyan and Tigran Ter-Margaryan to Bucha. Armenia: Protesters march to parliament, some spend the night on street The protesters did not disperse despite heavy rain that began at around 2 a.m. local time. Concept to complete Yerevan Cascade discussed at city hall A conceptual proposal to complete the Cascade complex in downtown Yerevan has been presented by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Pashinyan visits flood-hit region Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Saturday, June 8 visited the disaster area in the Lori province. |