"Our ambassador in Tehran has been advised that Dr Moore-Gilbert has been moved to Evin Prison," a spokesperson told AAP on Friday.

"Our ambassador last visited Dr Moore-Gilbert at Qarchak Prison on 19 October.

"The ambassador has requested that the regular access to Dr Moore-Gilbert continue at Evin Prison."

The Cambridge-educate Middle East scholar was arrested in Tehran in September 2018 and is serving 10 years in prison for espionage charges which she and the Australian government reject.

It emerged in July that Dr Moore-Gilbert was transferred from Evin to Qarchak women's prison in the desert for "punishment reasons" and that the conditions there were very bad.

Her life in Evin Prison was difficult too, with earlier reports she served periods of solitary confinement there, and that Iranian officials tried to recruit her as a spy.

Friends and supporters of Dr Moore-Gilbert are deeply concerned about her welfare.

They have questioned the government's strategy of "quiet diplomacy" and its claims the case is their highest priority.

The confirmation of her whereabouts follows earlier reports that Dr Moore-Gilbert had been moved from Iran's notorious Qarchak prison to an unknown location.

"The government believes the best approach to secure Dr Moore-Gilbert's release is through diplomatic channels. Dr Moore-Gilbert and her family continue to request privacy," the department said earlier in the week.

Evin Prison is notorious for psychological torture, disappearances of inmates and death.

Australian Associated Press