Iran's state-owned newspaper says the country's Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence for an Iranian man accused of murdering an American woman during a robbery.

The Saturday report by the "Iran" daily identified the accused only by his first name, Siamak.

The report says the accused killed an American citizen, Teresa Virginia, while attempting to rob her belongings and car in 2012.

It added that an accomplice in the armed robbery has been sentenced to life in prison.

The victim, who was a mother of three, was in Tehran visiting relatives of her Iranian husband.

Iran remains one of the world's top enforcers of the death penalty. Amnesty International says Iran executed more than 250 people last year, second only to China.