An 84-year-old American-Iranian has had successful life-saving surgery in Iran after officials refused to let him leave the country.
Baquer Namazi, a former Unicef official, has been unable to leave the country since he was released from prison in 2018, held on what the US says were trumped up charges of spying.
His family had called on both governments to ensure he could leave the country to clear a blockage in an artery to the brain because they feared he would not survive surgery in an Iranian hospital.
But the appeal to the US, the UN and Iran was unsuccessful and Namazi had an operation on Tuesday that lasted several hours. The family’s lawyer said it appeared to have been a success and he was awake but groggy. Namazi was expected to be in intensive care for several days.
His lawyer, Jared Genser, said concerns remained about the quality of aftercare in Iran, the significant risk from Covid-19 and the need for a stress-free environment for recovery. He said “all of which threaten Baquer’s survival and long-term well-being”.
The family had previously said their medical insurers were unwilling to pay for the treatment in Iran owing to US sanctions and they were unable to pay for the treatment.
It was not immediately clear who paid for the treatment. Mr Genser did not respond to a request for comment.
Namazi was first detained in 2016 when he travelled to Tehran to visit his son Siamak Namazi, a UAE-based businessman, who was arrested in Iran months earlier.
The pair were both sentenced to ten years in prison but Baquer was released in 2018 on medical grounds. His sentence was subsequently commuted to time served but he was not allowed to leave the country.
Siamak remains in Tehran’s Evin prison.
The father and son are among at least 15 dual-nationals from the US, Canada, Sweden, Briton, France, Austria and Germany who are held in prison or barred from leaving the country.
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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Stars: Patrick Wilson, Halle Berry
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Tour de France
When: July 7-29
UAE Team Emirates:
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
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British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
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