LONDON: An Iranian television espionage drama has been censored by authorities over a plotline featuring a spy working for British intelligence during sensitive nuclear deal negotiations. 

A 鈥渉igh-ranking member of the government鈥� intervened to prevent the episode of 鈥淕ando鈥� being aired for 45 minutes and demanded that dialogue be changed, according to Iranian media.

The show, funded by a body linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has proved controversial at the highest levels in Iran for its thinly veiled references to real-life events; even Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has criticized its portrayal of politicians.

The series portrays military intelligence officials as heroes, while implying that their civilian counterparts and relatives are vulnerable to Western spying operations.

The episode was eventually aired three-quarters-of-an-hour late, but certain scenes appeared to have been crudely edited.

State-run news agency, the Iranian Students鈥� News Agency (ISNA), reported that 鈥渁 high-ranking member of the government had blocked the broadcast, and requested that the word 鈥榥egotiating team鈥� not be included in the series.

鈥淭he sections where the word 鈥榥egotiating team鈥� was used were changed and the word 鈥榯eam鈥� was removed from the dialogues,鈥� it said.

The episode heavily focused on the role of British spies in Iran, and featured scenes of an MI6 agent in an office bedecked with Union flags and exterior shots of the service鈥檚 headquarters in London.

Its late broadcast appeared to be linked to the real case of Abdolrasoul Dorri-Esfahani, an Iranian diplomat and accountant accused of spying on behalf of the UK during the 2015 nuclear deal negotiations.

Dorri-Esfahani, who was part of Iran鈥檚 negotiating team during the crunch talks, was sentenced to five years in jail on espionage charges, though Mahmoud Alavi, Tehran鈥檚 intelligence minister, has insisted that he was innocent.

The present series of 鈥淕ando鈥� features a character called Abdol Rasoul Ashrafi, a former accountant who is portrayed as working for MI6.

The latest episode also showed Iranian forces intercepting a British ship using speed boats and helicopters, a not-so-subtle reference to the Iranian hijacking of British tanker the Stena Imperio in the Strait of Hormuz in 2019.