Iran on Wednesday summoned the British ambassador to Tehran after London extradited an Iranian citizen, wanted on suspicion of circumventing sanctions on Tehran, to the United States.

The Iranian foreign ministry said it had "conveyed to the British ambassador Iran's strong protest" against the "illegal arrest of the Iranian citizen and his extradition to the United States".

The US Justice Department announced on Tuesday that Saeid Haji Agha Mousaei, 53, had been extradited by Britain to appear before a court in Chicago.

The United States has accused him of transporting to Iran advanced US technology with "military applications".

Washington has imposed crippling sanctions on Iran since 2018, after withdrawing from an agreement secured three years earlier that placed curbs on Tehran's nuclear programme.

Talks aimed at reviving the 2015 agreement failed in the summer of 2022.