Iranian TV says several foreigners and British embassy officials have been arrested for alleged espionage

It did not elaborate on when they were arrested and whether they are still under arrest. Britain said the reports were completely false.

“The spies were taking soil samples in Iran’s central desert, where the Revolutionary Guards conduct anti-aircraft missile exercises,” state television said.

Iranian state television showed footage of Giles Whittaker and his family in central Iran, where the British ambassador appeared to be taking soil samples. The TV said it was near the area where the missile test was conducted by the guards.

“Whittaker was kicked out of town after he (the authorities) apologized,” the TV report said.

However, a spokesman for the British Foreign Office said: “Reports of the arrest of a British diplomat in Iran are completely false.

United Kingdom to United States spokesman Samuel Heath tweeted: “He (Whittaker) is no longer posted to Iran!”

State television identified one of those arrested as the husband of an Austrian cultural liaison in Iran. Austrian officials were not immediately available for comment.

The television also showed a photograph of a third foreigner identified as Maciej Walczak, a university professor in Poland who had allegedly visited Iran as a tourist.

Television reports showed footage of Walczak and three colleagues collecting soil samples in another area after visiting Iran as part of a science exchange program. Their samples were consistent with a missile test in Iran’s southern Kerman province, the report said.

Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual citizens and foreigners in recent years, mostly on espionage and security charges.

Rights groups accused the Islamic Republic of trying to extract concessions from other countries. Tehran denies arresting people for political reasons.