Lawyer for French academic upbeat after final Iran hearing

French academic Clotilde Reiss's lawyer expressed confidence she would be acquitted after she appeared in court in Tehran yesterday on charges of acting against Iranian national security during anti-government protests in June.

Lawyer Mohammad Ali Mahdavi Sabet told AFP that the two-hour hearing was the final one in the long-running case, which has tested Iran's ties with France, and that he now expected the court to announce its verdict within seven days.

Reiss, who has been staying at the French embassy in Tehran since being released on bail in August, was in court for the hearing, the third in her trial, Mahdavi Sabet said.

"She and I made our last defence submissions," he said.

"In my closing statement for the defence, I rejected all the accusations against her and said that she has not committed any crime.

"I asked for her acquittal and I am very confident and optimistic about her acquittal," he said.

"This was her last court session. After that Ms Reiss left for the embassy. "They will tell me the verdict when it is ready. Under Iranian law, the court has a week to issue its verdict," Mahdavi Sabet added.