Iran Claims Capture of 'MI6 Spy'

Iran claims it has captured and arrested a British spy on an MI6 inteliigence mission in the country.

The unidentified spy was arrested in Kerman, in the south east of the country.

According to the BBC, the head of Kerman's revolutionary court said the alleged spy had admitted being in contact with four British intelligence officers 11 times, both inside and outside the country.

The report claims the unidentified man is currently standing trial and has confessed to the charges, however The UK Foreign Office has not confirmed the reports.

The reports come as MI6 recovers from negative publicity attracted by the death of Gareth Williams. The MI6 employee was found dead in his flat in his London flat in August 2010, inside a zipped and locked suitcase. Despite an inquest finding that his death was "unnatural and likely to have been criminally mediated", a subsequent Metropolitan Police investigation concluded that Williams's death was "probably an accident".

In a separate case this month, ex-FBI agent Bob Levinson was said to have been captured and held in Iran for seven years. The US government confirmed it would push for his release, amid reports he was on an unapproved spying mission in Iran.