A BRITISH woman jailed in Iran after being convicted of spying has been told to expect another conviction after appearing in court over a new “invented” charge, her husband has said.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was arrested and jailed in 2016, appeared in court on Saturday accused of spreading propaganda against the Iranian government.

The 39-year-old British-Iranian dual national is serving a five-year sentence over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Tehran government.

Her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, said the mother of one had again denied committing any crime, and appealed for clemency and freedom.

Mr Ratcliffe said: “She was told by judge Salavati to expect that she will be convicted.”

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested at Tehran Airport in April 2016 while with her then baby daughter Gabriella.

She was later jailed for five years but has consistently denied the charges against her, insisting that the trip was a holiday to introduce her daughter to her Iranian family.

The new charge came despite telephone talks between Prime Minister Theresa May and Iranian president Hassan Rouhani in which she called for British prisoners held in the country, including Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, to be released on humanitarian grounds.

Rebecca Ratcliffe, a GP at the Cwmbran Village Surgery, said: "It is shocking for us, her family, to hear such news but so much worse for Nazanin and Richard. Their hopes of reunion and expanding their family wither away while diplomatic efforts stall.

"Nazanin, and many others like her, are in prison due to their Britishness."

And Kerry Moscogiuri, who is Amnesty International UK’s campaigns director, said the new charge was “yet another body blow”

Ms Moscogiuri said: “Nazanin has already been subjected to a blatantly unfair trial and sentence, and a string of unfounded accusations in the Iranian media.

“Nazanin is a charity worker not a criminal, and the Iranian authorities should finally do the right thing – release her and allow her to come back to Britain with her young daughter.”