An Iranian court has dismissed a lower court 's death sentence for an American ex-Marine accused of espionage in Iran , state media reported Monday . A lower court sentenced Amir Mirzaei Hekmati to death in January , but the nation 's Supreme Court annulled that sentence and ordered a retrial , state-run Press TV said . The lower court previously had convicted the 28-year-old of `` working for an enemy country , '' as well as membership in the CIA and `` efforts to accuse Iran of involvement in terrorism , '' the semi-official Fars news agency has reported . The U.S. State Department has strongly condemned his conviction . `` Allegations that Mr. Hekmati either worked for or was sent to Iran by the CIA are simply untrue , '' department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said earlier this year . `` The Iranian regime has a history of falsely accusing people of being spies , of eliciting forced confessions , and of holding innocent Americans for political reasons . '' Hekmati 's family also denies the allegations . Hekmati was arrested in August while visiting his grandmother and other relatives , his family in Michigan said . The Hekmatis said their son served in the U.S. Marines from 2001 to 2005 . Later , he started his own linguistics company and contracted his services to the military as well as civilian businesses . His military contracts included cultural competency training . He worked with troops at military bases to promote understanding and positive communication with people of other cultures , his family said .
Iran 's Supreme Court orders a retrial in the espionage case , some media reported . Amir Mirzaei ##an is convicted of espionage and was sentenced to death in January . His family and the U.S. government deny the allegations . The status of his family was not immediately clear Monday .