France is demanding the immediate release of a 23-year-old French woman arrested last week on suspicion of espionage as she was about to leave Iran. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has dismissed the espionage accusations as absurd.

The woman had been working as a teaching assistant at the University of Isfahan for five months and took part in the demonstrations that followed Iran's disputed presidential elections. She also took photographs during the protests.

Iran also arrested nine staff at the British embassy in Tehran for inciting protests. One of them is still in custody. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has repeated a warning to Western leaders not to interfere in Iran's internal affairs.