"In this mission I was fooled by the CIA and although I had entered Iran with a mission to infiltrate in the Islamic Republic of Iran's intelligence systems and to turn into a new source for the CIA, I didn't want to hit a blow to Iran," Amir Mirzaei Hekmati said, according to Iran's Fars News Agency.

His mother denied allegations that her son is a spy for the CIA, saying that anything he confessed to was coerced.

"We are deeply concerned for the fate and well-being of Amir," Hekmati's mother, Behnaz, said in a statement.

"We are also disturbed by the video and reports coming from the Iranian court that describe Amir admitting to being a spy. It is clear to me and our entire family that Amir is speaking under duress," according to CNN. "It is an indication that he is not speaking freely but being forced to say something that isn't true," she said.