Article 498
Anyone with any inclination who forms or administers a faction, association or branch of an association of more than two people in or outside the country under any name or title with the intention of disrupting the country's security, in case he is not considered as Mohareb, shall be sentenced to a term of two to ten years in prison.
Article 499
Anyone who enters into membership with one of the factions or associations or the branches of associations mentioned in Article 498 above, shall be sentenced to an imprisonment of three to five years unless it is proved that the perpetrator has had no knowledge about the intentions of the said groups.
Article 500
Anyone who, in any manner, makes propaganda activity against the system of the Islamic Republic of Iran or in favor of groups and organizations opposed to the system shall be sentenced to an imprisonment of three months to one full year.
Article 501
Anyone who intentionally and knowingly gives drawings, secrets or documents and decisions pertaining to domestic and foreign policies of the country to persons not competent of having knowledge thereof or informs them of the contents of such drawings, secrets and documents which involves a part of espionage, shall be sentenced to an imprisonment of one to ten years with regard to the nature of the crime.
Article 502
Anyone who carries out one of the espionage crimes in favor of an alien government and against another alien government in the territory of Iran which damages the country's national security, shall be sentenced to an imprisonment of one to five years.
Article 503
Anyone who, for the purpose of stealing or taking away of plans or acquiring of information regarding political, military or security secrets, enters the relevant positions as well as persons arrested when making a drawing or taking a picture or filming of military strongholds or forbidden locations without the permission of the competent authorities or officials shall be sentenced to an imprisonment of six months to three years.
Article 504
Anyone who effectively incites combatant forces or persons who, in a way or another, are at the service of the armed forces to mutiny, escape, surrender or decline to enforce military duties with the intention of overthrow of the government or defeat of own forces in the face of the enemy, shall be considered as Mohareb, or else if his actions are effective, he shall be sentenced to an imprisonment of two to ten years, and otherwise, he shall be sentenced to an imprisonment of six months to three years.
Article 505
Anyone who, with the intention of disrupting the country's security, collects, through any means, classified information under the cover of the country's authorities or government officers or other methods as an attempt to put these information at the disposal of others and succeeds in doing so, shall be sentenced to an imprisonment of one to five years.
Article 506
Should government officers in charge of safeguarding and protecting classified information, who have undergone the necessary training, are debriefed by enemies due to carelessness and failure to observe the principles regarding safeguarding of information, shall be sentenced to an imprisonment of one to six months.
Article 507
Anyone being a member of Mofsedin (mischief-makers) or groups carrying out actions against the country's internal or external security without having an occupation or chairmanship in such groups and informs government officers, before being prosecuted, of intentions for crime and the name of persons involved in the crime, or effectively cooperates with government officers after his prosecution is commenced, shall be exempted from punishment. However, if he has personally committed some other crimes, he shall only be given punishment for such crimes.
Article 508
Anyone or any group cooperating with hostile alien governments in any manner against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and who may not be considered as Mohareb, shall be sentenced to an imprisonment of one to ten years.
Article 509
Anyone who, in time of war, commits one of the crimes against the internal and external security subject of this section shall be sentenced to the maximum punishments set for such crime.
Article 510
Anyone who, with the intention of disrupting the national security or helping the enemy, finds out and hides spies who had been assigned to carry out inspections or inflict any kind of damages to the country or causes them to be hidden, shall be sentenced to an imprisonment of six months to three years.
Note: Anyone who does not carry out espionage or does not hide spies but finds out, in any way, individuals and employs them and introduces them to a hostile government or alien governments for the purpose of spying against the country's security shall be sentenced to an imprisonment of six months to two years.
Article 511
Anyone who, for the purpose of disrupting the country's security and inciting the public opinion, threatens to plant bomb in planes, ships and public transportation vehicles or claims that bomb has been planted in the said planes, ships and vehicles, in addition to paying compensation for the damages incurred to the government and individuals, shall be sentenced to an imprisonment of six months to two years.
Article 512
Anyone who tempts or incites people to fighting and killing of each other for the purpose of disrupting the country's security, irrespective of whether these actions lead to killing or causes plunder and pillage or not, shall be sentenced to an imprisonment of one to five years.
Note: Punishments set forth in Articles 508, 509 and 512 above shall not include persons who, before arrest, have repented.
Section Two - On Sacrilege of Islamic Sanctities and Attempting the Life of Iranian Authorities
Article 513
Anyone insulting the sanctities of Islam and/or any of the great prophets or the innocent ones or Fatemah (PBUH) (daughter of holy prophet Mohammad) shall be executed in case the ruling for the holy prophet includes him. Otherwise, he shall be sentenced to an imprisonment of one to five years.
Article 514
Anyone insulting in any way, the Founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran the late Imam Khomeini (peace be upon him) and the revered Leader shall be sentenced to a term of six months to two years in prison.
Article 515
Anyone attempting on the life of the Leader or any of the heads of the three powers (President, Parliamentary (Majlis) Speaker and Head of Judiciary) and the great Marje-e-Taqlid (supreme religious authorities whose rulings Shiite Muslims are obliged to follow) shall be sentenced, in case he is not considered as Mohareb, to an imprisonment of three to ten years.
Section Three - On Attempting the Life of Foreign Political Authorities
Article 516
Anyone attempting the life of a foreign head of state or the diplomatic representative of a foreign country in the territory of Iran shall be sentenced to the punishment set forth in Article 515 above provided that the same procedure shall be enforced reciprocally in the country involved. And if light punishment is enforced, the culprit shall be equally punished accordingly.
Note: In case the attempt leads to death, injury or bruises, the culprit, in addition to the punishment set forth above, shall be sentenced to Qassas (retaliation) or payment of blood money in accordance with the relevant rules and regulations.
Article 517
Anyone insulting openly the head of or the diplomatic representative of a foreign country in the territory of Iran shall be sentenced to an imprisonment of one to three months provided that the same procedure is enforced reciprocally in the country involved.
Note: Enforcement of the Articles set forth in this Section shall be subject to the request of the related foreign government or its diplomatic representative or demand of the person who has been insulted or his guardian, Criminal prosecution will be stopped in case of withdrawal of the request.
Section Four - On Making and Circulating Counterfeit Coins
Article 518
Anyone who makes the imitation of any types of domestic or foreign gold or silver coins such as Bahar-e-Azadi (Spring of Freedom), the coins of former governments of Iran, pounds and the like which are in currency or imports such coins into the country knowingly, or purchases and sells such coins, or circulates counterfeit coins, shall be sentenced to an imprisonment of one to ten years.
Article 519
Anyone who for illegitimate purposes, cuts down the weight, in any manner, of Iranian or foreign gold or silver coins by cutting, carving, etc. or knowingly and intentionally takes part in circulation of such coins or importing the same into the country, shall be sentenced to an imprisonment of one to three years.
Article 520
Anyone who makes the imitation of domestic or foreign non-gold and non-silver coins in currency, or knowingly and intentionally takes part in their circulation or importing them into the country or buys and sells such coins, shall be sentenced to an imprisonment of one to three years.
Article 521
Where persons committing the crimes described in Articles 518, 519 and 520 disclose the cases of the crime to prosecutors before discovery thereof, or facilitate prosecution of the other parties by their confessions during prosecution, or provide effective help and guide the government agents into discovering the crime, the punishment of such persons shall be either mitigated or they will be exempted from imprisonment as the case may be at the proposal of the relevant prosecutor and approval of the court and/or at the discretion of the court. If it is proved that such persons had repented before arrest, they shall be exempted from all of the said punishments.
Article 522
In addition to the punishments set forth in Articles 518, 519 and 520 all the property gained through such actions shall be confiscated as Ta'azir in favor of the government.
