Rights group says British-Iranian professor held in Tehran

A British-Iranian university professor who actively campaigns against military action targeting his homeland has been detained in Iran by the country's hard-line Revolutionary Guard, a rights group says, becoming the latest dual national held there since the 2015 nuclear deal.

The British Foreign Office said late Wednesday night it was "urgently seeking information" after the Center for Human Rights in Iran said computer scientist and mathematician Abbas Edalat had been detained.

Iranian state media did not immediately report on Edalat's case, which isn't unusual in cases involving dual nationals. It's unclear what charges he faces, though typically those arrested by the Guard face espionage or security-related charges and closed-door trials where guilty verdicts come down without the opportunity to defend themselves.

Edalat is a professor at Imperial College London. The university did not respond to requests for comment.

Edalat traveled to Iran for an academic workshop and was arrested April 15, according to the Center for Human Rights in Iran. He refused to post bail Wednesday, arguing he is innocent of the unknown charges and should be freed, the center said. The Guard also raided his home in Tehran.

"Iran's continued arbitrary arrests of dual nationals without transparency and lack of due process is extremely concerning," Hadi Ghaemi, the center's executive director, said in a statement.

"The Iranian judiciary and the security establishment, particularly the Revolutionary Guard, are responsible for the well-being of these detainees."