British Council confirms arrest of its Iranian staffer
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The British Council is confirming that a woman who Iran sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of spying for Britain is an Iranian national employed by the group.
A Tuesday statement from the council, a non-political organization that works in education, arts and culture, identified the woman as Aras Amiri.
Iran said Monday a female suspect who was sentenced to prison had worked for the British Council and cooperated with British intelligence.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Iran's Judiciary said the woman had been jailed in Iran for the past year while her case was under investigation.
The British Council statement says: "We firmly refute the accusation levied against her."
The statement said Amiri worked for the group for five years in London and she did not travel to Iran for work.