Roya Nobakht, 47, visited Shiraz last October for three weeks to visit friends and family.
Ms Nobakht, from Stockport in Greater Manchester, is accused of describing the government there as ‘too Islamic’, as well as putting national security at risk and insulting Islam.
Her husband Daryoush Taghipoor, also 47, went to collect her from Manchester Airport last year, but she wasn’t there. He then spent two months looking for his wife, searching the Iran’s hospitals, mortuaries and police stations.
When he finally discovered what had happened to his wife, Mr Taghipoor was only allowed to see her for 10 minutes.
A family friend told the Mirror: “Roya is devastated. She is not doing well. She is just a housewife and is not an activist. She has said she would rather die than be there for 20 years.
“She has been tortured and the conditions at the prison are terrible. She is under a lot of pressure. They have taken a confession under duress that she has said something against the Iranian republic.”
The Mirror reported that Mt Taghipoor has not returned to Iran since searching for Roya, in case he is arrested himself.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said of the case: “We are aware that a British national has received a custodial sentence in Iran.
“We are seeking to establish the full facts and are following up the case with the Iranian authorities.”