WASHINGTON — The family of an American man sentenced to death in Iran for allegedly being a CIA agent said today that he was visiting relatives there and not spying.

Behnaz Hekmati, mother of Amir Mirzaei Hekmati, said in an e-mail to The Associated Press that she and her husband Ali are “shocked and terrified” that their son has been sentenced to death.

Iran charged that Hekmati received special training and had served at U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan before heading to Iran for an intelligence mission.

The 28-year-old former military translator was born in Arizona and graduated from high school in Michigan. His family is of Iranian origin. His father, Ali, a professor at a community college in Flint, Mich., has said his son was visiting his grandmothers in Iran.

The State Department has demanded his release.

In the e-mail, his mother said her son did not engage in any acts of spying, or “fighting against God,” as the convicting judge has claimed in his sentence.

“We pray that Iran will show compassion and not murder our son, Amir, a natural born American citizen, who was visiting Iran and his relatives for the first time.”