(CNN) The Australia government has identified the person who has been held in Iran for almost a year as university lecturer Kylie Moore-Gilbert.

News of the arrests came amid tensions between Iran and United States and its allies, including Australia and the UK.

Since the decision by US President Donald Trump in 2018 to abandon the Iran nuclear deal, Washington has attempted to use what it calls "maximum pressure" to change Iran's behavior and limit its nuclear ambitions.

Kylie Moore-Gilbert has been named as the Australian held in Iran.

Earlier this year, tensions between the US and Iran soared to levels that prompted fears of a conflict. Oil prices jumped as investors feared that attacks on oil tankers risked a disruption of shipments in the Strait of Hormuz, which passes by Iran and is the most important place on the planet to the global supply of oil.

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