Cyprus arrests individual on suspicion of terror-related plot, police say
NICOSIA, June 21 (Reuters) - Police in Cyprus have arrested an individual on suspicion of terror-related offences and espionage, authorities said on Saturday.
The individual appeared before a district court on Saturday, which ordered an eight-day detention pending inquiries. No further details would be issued, police said, citing national security.
Cyprus lies very close to the Middle East and has in recent days been used as a transit point for people either leaving or going to the region amid a conflict between regional foes Israel and Iran. Terror-related offences on the island are very rare.
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Reuters
32 minutes ago
- Reuters
Erdogan says UNRWA to open office in Turkey, calls for more support for agency
ANKARA, June 21 (Reuters) - The United Nations' Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA will open an office in Ankara, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday, urging Muslim countries to give the agency more support after Israel banned it. Israel last year banned UNRWA, saying it had employed members of Palestinian militant group Hamas who took part in the October 2023 attacks on Israel that triggered the Gaza war. Turkey has called Israel's assault on Gaza genocide and its move to ban UNRWA a violation of international law, particularly amid worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza, which has been reduced to rubble with millions displaced. Addressing foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul, Erdogan said opening an Ankara UNRWA office would deepen Turkey's support for the agency. "We must not allow UNRWA, which plays an irreplaceable role in terms of taking care of Palestinian refugees, to be paralysed by Israel. We expect our organisation and each member state to provide financial and moral support to UNRWA to thwart Israel's games," Erdogan said. A Turkish diplomatic source said Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini were expected to sign an accord on the sidelines of the OIC meeting in Istanbul on establishing the office. Turkey has given UNRWA $10 million a year between 2023 and 2025. In 2024, it also transferred $2 million and sent another $3 million from its AFAD disaster management authority. Israel has handed responsibility for distributing much of the aid it lets into Gaza to a new U.S.-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which operates three sites in areas guarded by Israeli troops. The U.N. has rejected the GHF operation saying its distribution work is inadequate, dangerous and violates humanitarian impartiality principles. Previously, aid to Gaza's 2.3 million residents had been distributed mainly by U.N. agencies such as UNRWA with thousands of staff at hundreds of sites across the enclave.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Tangled history and trouble today - what is the UK's plan on Iran?
"If this is true, all our troubles are over." A British businessman fast running out of cash, William Knox D'Arcy, is said to have uttered those words when he received a telegram from Persia, 113 years had been discovered, after years of failed explorations under Knox D'Arcy, who had been granted the rights to hunt for the black stuff at the turn of the him, striking oil was to provide a second fortune after he'd made millions from Australian gold. For the UK, Persia - later to become Iran - and for the rest of the world, it was the moment the Middle East's financial and political fortunes became linked to the West like never D'Arcy's cash problem might have been solved. But the troubles in the region were far from weekend, although ministers want to concentrate on their plans to make it easier to do business at home ahead of their industrial strategy being published next week, two big questions hang heavy. What happens next in the hottest of conflicts in a vital region? And does the UK play a role?Whether you like it or not, "it should matter, and it does matter" to the UK, according to one Whitehall is the fraught tangle of history. Not just the fortune from the first discovery of oil going into British coffers at the start of the last also the UK's involvement in overturning the government in 1922, invading with the Russians during World War Two, backing another coup in 1953, then along with America, propping up the Shah until his exit in 1979, after months of turbulence and increasing protest against his regime. You can watch amazing archive of his departure here. "We were all over them" for decades, one former senior minister forward to modern times and successive governments have been deeply concerned about Iran's ambitions to build a nuclear bomb. There were efforts, particularly by the former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, to do deals that put weapons beyond reach. But there is acute worry now about Iranian activities in the UK itself. Yesterday, seven men were arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm after two people were assaulted outside the Iranian embassy. The Met Police have said they believe the altercation happened between protesters supporting and opposing the Iranian month three alleged Iranian spies were charged for planning to commit serious violence against UK based journalists. And the director general of MI5 said the UK has responded to 20 Iran-backed plots since the start of 2022, presenting potentially lethal threats here at home.A source involved with an Iranian opposition group warned the regime, "has a massive network in the UK promoting terrorism and extremism – we'd never let the Russians get away with this… It's happening on our streets". What is the UK role? Ministers' public focus is on diplomacy for now. As ever, it was a suggestion from US President Donald Trump that sent Whitehall into a spin. This time, the notion that America might help Israel take out Iran's nuclear Foreign Secretary David Lammy jumped on to a plane to Washington. The government emergency committee, Cobra, convened. Everything went into overdrive before another update from team Trump. Actually, he'd take a fortnight to think about left No 10 thinking, "everyone can take a breath – the two weeks and the volume of engagement means there is some tone of optimism – we're just focusing on trying to calm things", an insider Lammy spent more than an hour with Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, and Steve Witkoff, the president's envoy, leaving with the impression there was still a chance for diplomacy, although the threat of America joining the military action is worth remembering there is deep disagreement in Trump's party about whether to assist Israel or the foreign secretary was seeking information from his American hosts, the president had been having lunch with Steve Bannon, one of the foremost Make America Great Again (Maga) backers, who has been very loudly pressing Trump not to get involved. Diplomacy then moved to Geneva, where Lammy and several European colleagues met the Iranian foreign minister. They repeated concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions and it breaking the international talks finished with no fixed decisions on next moves or negotiations, but a willingness to try. Ultimately, the UK and European push is to keep talking, trying to stop the war spreading more widely. But some sources question whether this makes any difference."Europe is pretty irrelevant in all this," one senior figure told me - and the American president even said it out loud."Iran doesn't want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this one, " Trump said, dismissing the diplomatic sources describe diplomacy as a "sticking plaster", questioning how effective it can be when Israel is so clearly intent on breaking the status quo, and changing the shape of the region hoping for regime change in Iran and stopping them creating a nuclear former senior official told me, "Israel think this is a once in a lifetime, it's now or never… it doesn't represent a long term solution, but if you are in Tel Aviv the obvious riposte is, 'Yes, we'll still be alive'."Another security source suggested the UK would not be relevant by taking a "preachy European position, like a teacher in a playground", but could instead pursue "alignment with the Americans for our own hard interests".Aligning with America is so often a no-brainer for British prime ministers. But a Labour prime minister aligning with Trump to bomb a country in the Middle East? That's something else. There is the practicality, "people in Whitehall will be very sceptical if thinking bombing Iran will yield any better outcome", one former diplomat source suggests the UK simply hasn't done enough thinking in recent years about how to help Iran, a country of around 90 million people with serious political repression and economic hardship: "Britain doesn't have a strategy or a plan for Iran. It looks at Iran through the point of view of Israel or Gaza but doesn't look at it in its own right, so that's a problem."If America were to get involved with British support in one way or another, what happens next?The source said: "The Americans can go and attack Fordo (Iran's nuclear facility that's buried deeper than the Channel Tunnel), but if the Iranians lash out after, what then?"Then, there is the legality. You don't need me to remind you that the prime minister used to be an eminent the UK was asked to allow American jets to use the British base at Diego Garcia, or help with refuelling planes on their way to any Iranian target, the government would want to be confident there is a solid legal argument that justifies the is already a political row over publishing the advice with an understanding the attorney general has expressed the uninitiated, this is a very well-worn political track. Opposition parties say legal advice must be published in full. Governments say no. Lawyers and politicians, who are not giving the actual verdict, argue about it very publicly. In the end, international law is subject to all sorts of interpretation, what a former senior minister describes as "fungible" - in other words, it's far from is already what one source described as "loose blabber" about the legal advice this the politics of the moment normally comes first, and the prime minister of the day must political backdrop for No 10 is risky. Labour contends with the mythology around Tony Blair's decision to go into Iraq with George Bush, seen by many in the modern party as a decision too to be seen to support Israeli military action stirs a long-standing streak of anti-Israeli feeling on the that to profound concern about what is separately going on in Gaza right now, and it creates another candidates already swiped seats, and nearly took more from Labour in the general election. Sign up for the Off Air with Laura K newsletter to get Laura Kuenssberg's expert insight and insider stories every week, emailed directly to you. Highlighting the plight of Gazans is clearly not the same as objecting to Israeli or American action against Iran. But issues can blur, and add to the volume of angry conversations inside the party about the Middle former senior minister, around during the Iraq conflict told me, "it would save us an awful lot of bother if you could get the Americans not to have our fingerprints on it".But, if the White House asks, "I'd swallow hard and say, 'OK'".Can you imagine Sir Keir Starmer saying no to Trump to help stop Iran creating a nuclear bomb? Can you imagine Sir Keir stepping into a Middle East conflict if it can be avoided?The answer to both can't be the same. The White House has pressed pause while Trump mulls his options, but America joining Israel to destroy Iran's nuclear programme remains an UK has huge interests in the security of Iran and the wider Middle East – whether oil, trade, intelligence, or military bases. Those questions for Sir Keir might be real before too long. BBC InDepth is the home on the website and app for the best analysis, with fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions and deep reporting on the biggest issues of the day. And we showcase thought-provoking content from across BBC Sounds and iPlayer too. You can send us your feedback on the InDepth section by clicking on the button below.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Israel-Iran war live: Iran's foreign minister warns US involvement would be ‘very dangerous' after Israel kills commanders
US involvement in Israeli attacks on Iran would be 'very, very dangerous', Tehran's foreign minister has said as he continues a round of diplomacy in Istanbul. Abbas Araghchi, who yesterday met his British, French and German counterparts, said Iran 'cannot' join further nuclear negotiations with the US while the Iranian people are 'under bombardment'. Tehran stands 'absolutely ready for a negotiated solution for our nuclear programme', he said. Negotiations with Washington have been halted since Israeli strikes last week sparked a deadly air conflict which has killed hundreds in Iran and dozens in Israel. Meanwhile, the Israeli military says it has killed two commanders of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who were closely linked with arming Hamas and other militant groups in the region. Saeed Izadi led the Palestine Corps of the Quds Force - the IRGC's overseas arm. He has been described as a veteran figure in Iran's military operations. The military later said that it killed a second commander of the Guards' overseas arm, who it identified as Benham Shariyari. Israel says he was responsible for weapons transfers 'from the Iranian regime to its proxies across the Middle East". The IRGC has not confirmed the deaths. Tehran vows to make Grossi 'pay' A senior adviser for Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, vowed in a social media post Saturday to make the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency "pay" once the war with Israel is over. Ali Larijani's threat comes as IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has become a major target for many Iranian officials who say his conflicting statements about the status of Iran's nuclear program incited the Israeli surprise attack last week. Grossi told the United Nations' Security Council Friday that while Iran has the material to build a nuclear bomb, it appears they have no plans to do so. Alex Croft21 June 2025 12:56 Hope of change by my fellow Iranians has turned to horror - our pain was primed for Israel's exploitation 'When are the Americans coming to save us from these mullahs?' my fellow Iranians would ask when I started my journalism career in Tehran some 22 years ago. That was just before the Middle East was transformed by the US's reverse Midas touch. Within a few years Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya had been reduced to rubble and ruin at the hands of US intervention. So salvation from the clerics shrank to two options: reform from within or revolt. Iran's hardline conservatives in charge would not abide either. Author and documentary maker Ramita Navai writes: Hope of change by my fellow Iranians has turned to horror after Israel's strikes Those living in Iran thought Israel's attacks might lead to freedom – but Netanyahu only really wants a nation unravelled, another carefully engineered fracture in the region, writes author and documentary maker Ramita Navai Alex Croft21 June 2025 12:34 In pictures: Israeli rescuers check damage in Beit She'an Alex Croft21 June 2025 12:13 Iran updates official death toll to 430 - Iranian media Iran's health ministry has now updated its casualty figures, according to Iranian media. At least 430 people have been killed and 3,500 wounded in Iran since the conflict began on June 13, Iranian state-run Nour News reported Tehran's health ministry as saying on Saturday. Earlier reports by Washington-based group Human Rights Activists had suggested more than 600 people had died in Iran since the conflict began. Alex Croft21 June 2025 11:50 Who is Mohammad Saeed Izadi, the veteran commander Israel says it has killed? Israel says it has killed Mohammad Saeed Izadi, the veteran commander who served as the head of the Palestine Corps within Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Quds Force. This was the IRGC's overseas operations arm with ties to armed groups across the region. He was believed to be a liaison between Iran and Hamas and played a role in co-ordinating support by Tehran for armed Palestinian groups. Izadi reportedly helped arm Iran and Hamas - and Israel says he helped orchestrate an assault on Israel in assistance of Hamas' 7 October attack. Izadi was killed in an Israeli attack on an apartment in the city of Qom, coming more than a year after he narrowly survived an Israeli air strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, in April 2024, the BBC reported. Alex Croft21 June 2025 11:28 Sam Kiley: What Trump must decide in his two week pause on the Israel-Iran conflict Alex Croft21 June 2025 11:05 Who was Behnam Shahriyari, Iranian commander who 'armed Hamas'? Our world affairs editor Sam Kiley is in Tel Aviv: Israel claimed that it had killed the Iranian officer responsible for arming Hamas in Gaza. The commander of the Quds Force's Weapons Transfer Unit (Unit 190) in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Behnam Shahriyari, was killed by the Israeli air force in an overnight strike against his vehicle the IDF said. The attack shows the continued deep penetration of Israeli's Mossad intelligence agency in Iran and was another assassination of a senior officer as part of a campaign to break the back of Iran's security structures. Shahriyari "worked for years to arm various terrorist organizations in order to directly advance the Iranian regime's plan to destroy the State of Israel' the IDF said. Israel itself suffered not overnight casualties from a significantly lower level of Iranian missile and drone attacks which involved only five missiles - down from 23 the day before. Alex Croft21 June 2025 10:44 US involvement in Iran would be 'very very dangerous', warns Tehran's foreign minister Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has said any US involvement in attacks on his country would be 'very, very dangerous'. Speaking to reporters in Istanbul, he said Iran 'cannot' join negotiations with the US while the Iranian people are 'under bombardment'. Mr Araghchi met with European representatives on Friday, and on Saturday is due to meet with representatives from Arab and Muslim countries, according to Tasnim state news agency. "The US has been involved in the aggression since day one,' he alleged according to the BBC, adding that direct involvement would be 'very, very dangerous'. Tehran stands 'absolutely ready for a negotiated solution for our nuclear programme', he said. "Diplomacy has worked in the past and can work again in the future. In order for us to come back to diplomacy the aggression must be stopped." Alex Croft21 June 2025 10:20 Russia has told Israel there is no evidence Iran is seeking nuclear weapons, says Putin Russia has repeatedly told Israel that there is no evidence Iran is aiming to get nuclear weapons, president Vladimir Putin said according to Sky Arabia. "Russia, as well as the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), has never had any evidence that Iran is preparing to obtain nuclear weapons, as we have repeatedly put the Israeli leadership on notice," the broadcaster quoted Putin as saying. Russia is ready to support Iran in developing a peaceful nuclear programme, Putin said, adding that Iran has the right to do so. Speaking at an economic forum in St. Petersburg on Friday, Putin said Russia was sharing its ideas on how to stop the bloodshed in the Iran-Israel conflict with both sides. He did not give details of those ideas. Alex Croft21 June 2025 10:00 Two commanders including Quds force leader killed by Israel, military claims We earlier brought you the news that the Israeli military said it killed two commanders from Iran's Revolutionary Guard. One of the commanders, Saeed Izadi, led the Palestine Corps of the overseas arm, or Quds Force, foreign minister Israel Katz said in a statement. The Quds Force built up a network of Arab allies known as the Axis of Resistance, establishing Hezbollah in Lebanon in 1982 and supporting the Palestinian militant Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Izadi has been described as a veteran figure in Iran's military operations. The military later said that it killed a second commander of the Guards' overseas arm, who it identified as Benham Shariyari, during a strike on his vehicle overnight in western Tehran. It said the commander "was responsible for all weapons transfers from the Iran ian regime to its proxies across the Middle East". Alex Croft21 June 2025 09:37
