Iran arrests man on charges of spying for Britain

Iran’s media says authorities have arrested a man on charges of spying for Britain.

The semiofficial ISNA news agency said on Saturday that the man was arrested in the town of Kerman in southeastern Iran after authorities spent months tracking him down.

A Kerman judiciary official, who was not named by

ISNA , said the man had exchanged information with four British intelligence operatives. The man has not been identified but the report says he is currently standing trial and has confessed.

Iran periodically announces the arrest of alleged foreign agents. Often few further details are released.

The arrest comes as Iran and Britain are patching up ties following the election of moderate President Hassan Rouhani in June. The British Embassy in Tehran was closed in late 2011 after hardliners overran the building.