British Council worker sentenced in Iran

TEHRAN: An Iranian woman who worked for the British Council was sentenced to 10 years in prison for "spying", the judiciary’s news website Mizan Online reported on Monday, sparking concern in London.

"An Iranian citizen in charge of the Iran desk at the... British Council was cooperating with English spying agencies," Mizan reported, quoting judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili.

He did not identify the suspect, but said she had been sentenced recently after she "made a straightforward confession". Esmaili added that the suspect, who had been tasked with drawing up and managing cultural "infiltration" projects, had been arrested by Iranian intelligence and security agencies "more than a year ago". The United Kingdom’s foreign ministry voiced concern over the sentence.