A British-Australian woman serving a 10-year sentence in Iran for espionage has been transferred to a notorious prison in the desert, officials say.
Kylie Moore-Gilbert, a lecturer at Melbourne University, has been in jail since September 2018.
She was tried in secret and strongly denies all the charges against her.
The Australian government has said it holds Iran responsible for Ms Moore-Gilbert’s “safety and well-being” and is “urgently seeking access” to her.
“Dr Moore-Gilbert’s case is one of the Australian government’s highest priorities, including for our embassy officials in Tehran,” Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement on Tuesday.
The statement added that Iran had confirmed earlier reports from human rights activists that she had been moved to the notorious Qarchak prison.
The jail is sometimes used as punishment for Iranian political prisoners and conditions have been described by former inmates as abysmal.