LONDON: Tehran on Sunday abruptly postponed a new trial of British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, according to her husband, who accused the Islamic republic of treating his wife as "a piece of bait".

"Yes, today's hearing was postponed," Richard Ratcliffe told AFP in London. Her Iranian lawyer was told "the case was not happening today", but no explanation was offered by the court as to when it might now happen, he said.

There was no immediate comment from Iranian authorities, after Ratcliffe said his wife faced a second trial for "spreading propaganda against the regime".

"It is too early to say what the postponement means, except that this remains a game of cat and mouse between governments, with us living life as a piece of bait," Ratcliffe added in a statement.

Britain's Foreign Office said: "We welcome the deferral of this groundless court hearing, and call on Iran to make Nazanin's release permanent so that she can return to her family in the UK." Zaghari-Ratcliffe has spent more than four years in jail or under house arrest since being arrested in the Iranian capital in April 2016 while visiting relatives with her young daughter.