Iran Parliament Ups Punishment for Israel Travel

Iran's parliament on Monday approved legislation to severely increase punishment for Iranian citizens “who dare” to travel to the lands of arch-foe Israel.

Under the new law, any Iranian who visits Israel will face a jail term of two to five years, while they will also be banned from holding a passport for three to five years, the official IRNA news agency reported.

In the past, the punishment for such travels was one to three months in jail but heavier sentences have been imposed in some cases.

Renowned blogger Hossen Derakhshan, who holds Iranian and Canadian citizenship, was sentenced to a 19-year jail term after he visited the Jewish state and was also charged with "propaganda against the regime."

The law provides an exemption for those who have been allowed by the foreign ministry to go to "countries whose travel has been banned or limited," the Fars news agency reported without elaborating.

Some 25,000 Jews live in Iran, a predominantly Muslim country, making the Islamic republic home to the second-largest Jewish population in the Middle East.