WASHINGTON — The Obama administration Monday rejected Iran’s charge that a young Iranian-American man used a family trip to Iran as cover for espionage, after the Tehran government issued the first death penalty against a U.S. citizen since the Islamic Revolution 33 years ago. The U.S. suggested the decision was a political ploy.

In a case that surely will heighten tensions with Tehran, Iran charged Amir Mirzaei Hekmati with receiving special training and serving at U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan before traveling to Iran on an intelligence mission. A court convicted him of belonging to the CIA and trying to incriminate Iran for involvement in terrorism, according to a state radio report Monday.

The United States denied the accusations. The State Department called them a “complete fabrication” and White House spokesman Tommy Vietor added that “allegations that Mr. Hekmati either worked for or was sent to Iran by the CIA are false.”

Dad who threw son from boat guiltySANTA ANA, Calif. — A father who tossed his 7-year-old son overboard during a Southern California harbor cruise has pleaded guilty to felony child abuse and endangerment.Sloan Briles entered the plea Monday. Instead of jail, he was sentenced to a year in a child abuse treatment program and six months in a residential alcohol-treatment program.He also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of resisting an officer.Prosecutors said the 35-year-old Irvine, Calif., man was drunk during a Newport Harbor cruise in August when he slapped his son until he cried, then threw him off the boat.Another boat veered to avoid hitting the boy, who was thrown a life ring. Briles claimed that he and his son were only roughhousing.

Possible tornado hits mall in Texas HOUSTON — City roads were flooded and thousands of Houston residents lost power Monday after powerful thunderstorms plowed through the area, with a possible tornado damaging and shutting down a nearby mall.The skies over Houston turned pitch black as the massive storms raced through the drought-stricken area, dropping several inches of rain over a two-hour period. Drivers became stranded on major arteries that connect the city’s sprawling neighborhoods and suburbs.In Texas City, a town about 40 miles southeast of Houston, a possible tornado damaged the roof and wall of the Mall of the Mainland, and Fire Chief Joe Gorman evacuated and shut down the buildingGorman said reports of a twister came in as wind and rain pounded the area. No injuries were reported.