Iran's parliament is to investigate the death in custody of blogger Sattar Beheshti, officials say, according to BBC News.

Beheshti, 35, was arrested on October 30 on charges of "actions against national security on social networks and Facebook".

Police told his family to pick up his body on Wednesday, November 7.

Iranian MPs and human rights groups had called for an inquiry, while the US said it was "appalled" by reports he was "tortured and killed" in prison.

Iranian deputy parliamentary speaker Mohammad Hasan Abutorabifard said on Sunday that parliament's committee on national security and foreign policy would investigate the case.

Earlier MP Ahmad Tavakoli, a conservative critic of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, spoke in an open session of parliament criticising the government's silence on the issue.

The MP for Mr Beheshti's constituency also complained that he and local officials had not been informed about the case.

Amnesty International said Mr Beheshti had complained of being threatened the day before his arrest.