Iran versus Israel travelers
Iranians who travel to Israel to be sent to prison for up to five years, Tehran parliament decides
Iranians traveling to Israel could go to prison for up to five years instead of only three months, after Iran's parliament revised an existing ban for such trips.
The measure apparently reflects Tehran's security concerns over archenemy Israel. Iran claims to have dismantled several purported Israeli spy rings in recent years and arrested Iranians with alleged links to Mossad.
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Iranian state TV on Monday reported that parliament passed a new amendment, expanding the current prison term for travel to Israel to between two and five years.
Under a 1972 ban imposed by US-backed Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, offenders faced possible imprisonment of up to three months.
At the time, the law was designed to mostly avert travel to communist countries
The Iranian decision comes two days after a mysterious blast rocked a military base outside Tehran, killing 17 people including a senior Revolutionary Guards officer.
A Western intelligence source told Time Magazine on Monday that he estimates that the Mossad was behind Saturday's explosion at the Iranian missile base.
"Don't believe the Iranians that it was an accident," the official said.
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