Iran says arrest of CIA spy "humiliation" of US: spokesman

TEHRAN, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said that the recent arrest of a CIA agent in Iran proved to U.S. officials that any espionage operation against the Islamic Republic would make them suffer "humiliation," the English language Tehran Times daily reported on Sunday.

The recent downing of the U.S. spy drone and the arrest of the CIA-linked spy illustrate the supremacy of Iran's intelligence apparatus over the enemies, Mehmanparast was quoted as saying on Saturday.

Iran's Intelligence Ministry announced Saturday that it has arrested a U.S. spy in Iran.

It said in a statement that the spy is a CIA analyst tasked with carrying out a complex intelligence operation and infiltrating Iran's intelligence apparatus.

Iranian media reported earlier this month that the Iranian military downed a RQ-170 stealth aircraft of the United States in the eastern Iran after finding it transgressing the eastern border. The country's state TV later showed the footage of the drone.

Iran said that it has arrested a number of Israeli and U.S. spies in the country over past years.