US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has dismissed Tehran’s claim that it has captured 17 spies working for the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), suggesting that the assertion is pure fabrication.

“The Iranian regime has a long history of lying,” Pompeo said in an interview on Fox News, when asked about the Islamic Republic’s alleged spy bust.

State-affiliated media reported on Monday that Iran’s secret services had uncovered a 17-member spy ring. Some of the alleged agents, who were working as private contractors in various industries in Iran, have reportedly been condemned to capital punishment.

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The suspected spies were said to have been equipped with high-tech communication gear which they used to relay intelligence to their American handlers.

The alleged bust marks another worrying development in the US-Iran standoff. On Saturday, Washington announced that it had downed an Iranian drone which had approached a US warship, a claim denied by the Iranians.

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