Iran arrests dual-national for 'spying for London'

Iran has arrested a British-Iranian on suspicion of links to the UK intelligence service, in the latest of a string of arrests of dual-nationals on security-related charges.
1 min read
16 August, 2016
Iran does not recognise dual nationality and treats those arrested as Iranian citizens only [Getty]

Iran has arrested a British-Iranian on suspicion of links to the UK intelligence service, Iranian state media reported on Tuesday.

"The accused, who was arrested in Tehran last week, was active in the field of the Iranian economy, and was linked to the British espionage service," Tehran's prosecutor general Abbas Jafari-Dolatabadi told local media.

He did not give the name or gender of the accused.

Dolatabadi recalled warnings by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that Western governments would seek to "infiltrate" the country in the wake of last year's nuclear deal.

Since the deal with world powers last year, Iranian authorities have detained three other dual-nationals visiting the country - an American, a British and a Canadian - accusing them of a variety of security-related charges.

They are all currently awaiting trial.

Iran does not recognise dual nationality and treats those arrested as Iranian citizens only.

The British Foreign Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.