Iran is planning to execute a British citizen, according to Alireza Akbari

 The family of a British-Iranian dual national who was given a death sentence in Iran has informed BBC Persian that his execution is imminent.

Maryam, Alireza Akbari's wife, revealed that the family had been requested to pay him a "last visit" in prison and that he had been transferred to solitary confinement.

The former Iranian deputy defence minister was detained in 2019 and found guilty of spying for the UK despite his denials.

Iran was requested by the UK to put an end to the execution and release the man right away.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly stated that "this is a politically driven atrocity by a brutal dictatorship that has total concern for human life."

The Foreign Office had informed the BBC that it was standing by Mr. Akbari's family and had brought up his plight with Iranian authorities numerous times.

Despite its urgent request for consular access, Iran's government does not recognise Iranians as having two nationalities.

On Wednesday, BBC Persian also aired an audio message from Mr. Akbari in which he claims he was subjected to torture and coerced into making false confessions on television.

He claims that a senior Iranian official who was engaged in nuclear negotiations with international powers encouraged him to visit Iran a few years ago when he was overseas.

When he arrived, he continues, he was charged with buying a bottle of perfume and a shirt from Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, in order to gather top-secret intelligence.

When Mr. Shamkhani served as defence minister under the reformist Mohammad Khatami, who held office for two years between 1997 and 2005, Mr. Akbari worked under him.

In the audio recording, Mr. Akbari claims that he was "tortured and interrogated" by intelligence operatives "for more than 3,500 hours."

"They were filming my admissions with 10 cameras over all those 3,500 hours, which took more than 10 months," he claims, adding that he was also given "psychedelic medications."

"They destroyed my will, made me insane, and made me do anything they wanted by utilising physiological and psychological tricks. They forced me to admit to making false and dishonest allegations by threatening me with a pistol and death."

Additionally, he charges that Iran wants to execute him "in order to exact revenge on the UK."

The Iranian judiciary's Mizan news agency initially announced, hours after the audio message was broadcast, that Mr. Akbari had been convicted guilty of spying and that the Supreme Court had rejected his appeal.

According to the report, Mr. Akbari was "one of the most significant infiltrators of the country's sensitive and strategic centres" for the UK's Secret Intelligence Service, more commonly known as MI6, and he had been "compiling and intentionally conveying sensitive information."

The ministry asserted that by giving Mr. Akbari incorrect information, its spies discovered his espionage.

End of November saw the hanging of four men who had been found guilty of "cooperating" with Israeli intelligence, according to Iranian official media.

Since December, four further prisoners who had received death sentences in connection with the nationwide anti-government rallies have been put to death.

The head of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee in the UK, Alicia Kearns, described the news from Mr. Akbari's family as "terrible."

She said on BBC Radio 4's PM show that it was "unfortunate that it is another horrible example of the Iranian government weaponizing British nationals and industrialising hostage taking because they feel they are cornered, since there is such huge pressure from sanctions on them."

She posited that Mr. Shamkhani, who she described as a "moderate voice... [who] has been advocating for conversations and dialogue" in response to the current protests, may have been targeted by establishment hard-liners in order to discredit Mr. Akbari. The current regime in Iran has labelled them "riots" and used deadly force to repress them.

In recent years, Iran has detained dozens of Iranians who have a second nationality or permanent residence abroad, most often on espionage and national security-related allegations.

Last year, after the UK paid off an old debt owing to Iran, British-Iranian citizens Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori were freed and allowed to leave Iran.

But in addition to Mr. Akbari, at least two other British-Iranians, including Morad Tahbaz, a US citizen, are still being held in custody.

In recent years, Iran has detained dozens of Iranians who have a second nationality or permanent residence abroad, most often on espionage and national security-related allegations.

Last year, after the UK paid off an old debt owing to Iran, British-Iranian citizens Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori were freed and allowed to leave Iran.

But in addition to Mr. Akbari, at least two other British-Iranians, including Morad Tahbaz, a US citizen, are still being held in custody.