US does not seek war with Iran, says Mike Pompeo

Image copyright EPA Image caption Mr Pompeo (left) and Mr Lavrov held talks in the Russian city of Sochi US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said the United States does not seek a war with Iran, amid rapidly growing tensions between the two countries. Speaking in Russia, Mr Pompeo said the US was looking […]

Lebanon ‘torture’ death must be investigated – UN

Image copyright AFP Image caption Police said a pathologist had fabricated reports about Hassan Dika’s body showing torture signs The UN has called for an independent investigation into the death of a detainee in Lebanon last week. Hassan Dika, 44, is alleged to have been tortured following his arrest last November on drug-related charges, and […]

Aras Amiri: British Council names employee jailed by Iran

Image copyright Family handout Image caption The British Council said Aras Amiri helped build greater appreciation of Iranian culture in the UK The British Council has said it believes one of its Iranian employees, Aras Amiri, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in Iran for spying. Sir Ciarán Devane, chief executive of the […]

US ‘blames Iran’ for damage to tankers in Gulf of Oman

Media captionUS special representative for Iran: ‘We are not looking to get into a war’ US investigators believe Iran or groups it supports used explosives to damage four ships off the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, media reports say. Military experts were reportedly sent to investigate the incident and found a large hole in each […]

Lebanon detainee Hassan Dika’s death ‘must be investigated’ – UN

Image copyright AFP Image caption Police said a pathologist had fabricated reports about Hassan Dika’s body showing torture signs The UN has called for an independent investigation into the death of a detainee in Lebanon last week. Hassan Dika, 44, is alleged to have been tortured following his arrest last November on drug-related charges, and […]

Four ships ‘sabotaged’ in the Gulf of Oman amid tensions

Image copyright AFP Image caption Among those reportedly affected by the sabotage attack was an oil tanker, Amjad (pictured above) Four commercial ships were targets of a “sabotage attack” off the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday, the country’s foreign affairs ministry has said. The incident reportedly took place near Fujairah port, just outside the […]

Iran ‘jails British Council worker for spying for UK’

Image copyright NurPhoto Image caption British diplomats in Tehran are seeking further information from Iranian authorities An Iranian woman has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in Iran for spying for the UK, officials say. Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said the woman had been “in charge of the Iran desk” of the British Council, […]

Madonna Eurovision performance in doubt

Madonna Eurovision performance in doubt

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Madonna’s publicists announced her appearance last month Madonna’s performance at the Eurovision Song Contest has been thrown into doubt by organisers, who say she has yet to sign a contract for the show. Speaking on Monday, Eurovision’s executive supervisor Jon Ola Sand said: “The European Broadcasting Union has never […]

Four ships ‘sabotaged’ in the Gulf of Oman amid tensions

Image copyright AFP Image caption Among those reportedly affected by the sabotage attack was an oil tanker, Amjad (pictured above) Four commercial ships were targets of a “sabotage attack” off the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday, the country’s foreign affairs ministry has said. The incident reportedly took place near Fujairah port, just outside the […]

Iran ‘jails British Council worker for spying for UK’

Image copyright NurPhoto Image caption British diplomats in Tehran are seeking further information from Iranian authorities An Iranian woman has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in Iran for spying for the UK, officials say. Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said the woman had been “in charge of the Iran desk” of the British Council, […]