Britain is pulling dependants and non-essential staff out of its embassy in Tehran amid a coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least 54 people in Iran.

In its updated travel advice for Iran, the Foreign Office said: "As of 1 March, dependants and some staff from the British Embassy are being withdrawn from Iran due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

"Essential staff needed to continue critical work will remain.

"In the event that the situation deteriorates further, the ability of the British Embassy to provide assistance to British nationals from within Iran may be limited."

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Iran's death toll from the new coronavirus has reached 54, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur told state TV, adding that the number of people infected had reached 978.

The husband of British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe believes she has contracted coronavirus at the prison where she is being held.

Richard Ratcliffe said his wife has repeatedly asked to be tested for the virus at the Evin prison in Tehran after suffering from a "strange cold".

Although there are currently no confirmed cases at the prison, Covid-19 has spread rapidly across Iran and some observers believe the number of deaths is much higher than the official count from the government.

The Foreign Office has called on the Iranian government to "immediately allow" health professionals into the prison to assess British-Iranian dual nationals.

Iran has had the highest number of deaths from the coronavirus outside of China, where the outbreak originated, and several countries in the region have reported infections among people who travelled to the Islamic Republic.

"There were 385 new cases of infected people in the last 24 hours, increasing the total number to 978. The death toll is 54," Jahanpur said, calling on Iranians to avoid any unnecessary trips and stay at home.

On Saturday the death toll was put at 43, with 593 infected.

Some neighbouring countries have closed their borders with Iran and several countries have stopped flights.

Iran will put together approximately 300,000 teams, starting on Tuesday, to perform door-to-door coronavirus screening,

Health Minister Saeed Namaki said on state TV on Sunday. Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have allocated facilities across the country to help to eradicate the virus, a Guards commander told a televised news conference on Sunday.

"We have set up centres across the country to help people to tackle the virus … we need national cooperation to tackle this crisis. People should follow our health officials' advice," said the commander, who was not named by Iran's Press TV.

The spread of the virus in Iran, the epicentre of the outbreak in the Middle East, has prompted growing anxiety among Iranians and concern in some quarters over the clerical establishment's response.

Twelve more people have tested positive for the flu-like virus in the UK, bringing its total to 35 confirmed cases.

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