Morrison, Payne on release of academic by Iran

Australia's Foreign Minister said Thursday she was "extremely pleased" that Iran h released 33-year-old British-Australian acemic Kylie Moore-Gilbert in a prisoner swap.

Marise Payne said Moore-Gilbert's release h been an "absolute priority" for government since she was first detained.

"We have consistently rejected grounds on which government of Iran arrested and detained Dr. Moore-Gilbert and we continue to do so," Payne told reporters.

Iran first anunced on state television that it h freed scholar, imprisoned for more than two years on spying charges, in exchange for three Iranians held abro.

report was scant on detail, saying only that Iranians h been imprisoned for trying to bypass sanctions on Iran.

Asked about swap, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said " Australian government doesn't ackwledge or confirm any such arrangement regarding any release of any or persons in any or places."

However, he confirmed re were people held in Australia who h been released.

Moore-Gilbert was a Melbourne University lecturer on Middle Eastern studies when she was picked up at a Tehran airport as she tried to leave country after attending an acemic conference in 2018.

She was sent to Tehran's torious Evin prison, convicted of spying and sentenced to 10 years.

She h vehemently denied charges and maintained her incence.

She was one of several Westerners held in Iran on widely criticized espion charges that activists and U.N. investigators believe is a systematic effort to lever ir imprisonment for money or influence in negotiations with West. Tehran denies it.

Moore-Gilbert wrote in letters to Morrison that she h been imprisoned "to extort" Australian government.