A lawyer representing the former mayor of Tehran says he will protest against an appeal court decision that cut his client's prison sentence but left a ban on his holding public office in place for ten years.

The former Teheran mayor, Gholam-Hossein Karbaschi -- a close ally of reformist president Mohammed Khatami -- was convicted of embezzlement in July.

The case has been seen as part of a wider campaign by conservatives within the Iranian clerical regime against more moderate elements.

The BBC Middle East correspondent says the sentence reduction will be seen as a sign of leniency by the hardline judiciary, but Mr Karbaschi's career is unlikely to survive the ten year ban.