An Iranian woman who works for the British Council has been held in her homeland for more than 50 days after travelling on a private trip to her visit family over the Persian new year.
Mohsen Omrani, a cousin of Ms Amiri, launched an appeal for her freedom on social media, saying she was visiting her sick grandmother at the time of her arrest.
"Aras has been jailed by forces belonging to Iran’s ministry of intelligence," he said, adding she was in the UK as a PhD student at Kingston University.
“Simultaneously she has been working for the British Council,” Mr Omrani said in a post. “She has worked on film festivals and cultural exchanges between UK and Iran, and more importantly some of her activities have been in cooperation with the artistic department of [Iran’s] cultural ministry.
“She never had any problems before,” he said. “She went to Iran this time for a brief visit to see her grandmother who is in hospital.”
Separately, the British Council said in a statement it was aware of the detention of the staff member following the arrest of Iranian national Ms Amiri.
The British Council said Ms Amiri had not been on a work assignment during her visit to Iran. A spokesperson said the Council was aware that “one of our staff has been detained in Iran while making a private family visit, the colleague is an Iranian national”.
British Council offices in Tehran were closed in 2009 as the regime reacted to the launch of the BBC’s Persian service broadcast from London.
“The British Council does not have offices or representatives in Iran. We work remotely to develop long-term people-to-people cultural links with Iran as we do in over 100 other countries,” added the spokesman. "Despite an assertion that this individual has travelled to Iran for work this is not the case."
The British Foreign Office also said Wednesday that it was "urgently seeking information from the Iranian authorities" following unconfirmed reports of the detention of Iranian-British national Mahan Abedin.
The specialist website Iranwire said Mr Abedin had been arrested on national security charges. An active contributor to news websites and satellite television on politics and security, Mr Abedin has not used his Twitter account since February 20.
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Read more:
Iran media confirms arrest of British-Iranian academic
Relatives of Iranian prisoners push Commonwealth for help
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Mr Abedin, a regular contributor to the Middle East Eye news website, is also director of the UK-based research group Dysart Consulting, according to the columnist's biography. The phone listed on the consulting company’s website went straight to Mr Abedin’s voicemail.
A handful of British-linked Iranians have been rounded up by the Iranian authorities, presenting a challenge to diplomats who are seeking to maintain officials ties to Tehran. Abbas Edalat, a dual national who is a professor of computer science at Imperial College in London, is the latest confirmed case. He was reported last week to be facing charges of leading an infiltration network.
The US-based Centre for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) could not confirm the arrest of Mr Abedin but said that it followed the pattern of detentions by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a rival powerbase to president Hassan Rouhani.
The detentions of foreign-based Iranians were aimed at the president who had travelled to western capitals to woo expats and persuade them to return home, said CHRI executive director Hadi Ghaemi. “People going back are finding out the government doesn’t have the means to protect them,” he said.
The timing was significant amid increased tensions as US president Donald Trump decides whether to renew the nuclear arms deal with Iran. “This shows that [Iran’s] foreign policy is unpredictable and can be thrown into chaos at any time by the revolutionary guard,” said Mr Ghaemi.
British officials have said the sensitivity of the issues in each case makes it difficult to comment. “We will continue to approach each case in a way that we judge is most likely to secure the outcome we all want," a Foreign Office official said. "Therefore we will not be providing a running commentary on every twist and turn.”
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested at Tehran airport on April 3, 2016 and jailed for five years for sedition. She had denied the charges and dismissed claims that she was seeking to overthrow the government through her work with the philanthropic arm of the Thomson Reuters media group.
Richard Ratcliffe, her husband, has been a vocal of campaigners for dual-national or British linked prisoners held in Tehran and met with Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, last year.
The politician promised maximum efforts to free Mrs Zaghari Ratcliffe, but her husband accused Mr Johnson of not doing enough.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The five pillars of Islam
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 4 (Messi 23' pen, 45 1', 48', Busquets 85')
Celta Vigo 1 (Olaza 42')
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Pharaoh's curse
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.
'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse Of Madness'
Director: Sam Raimi
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg and Rachel McAdams
Rating: 3/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The%20Mandalorian%20season%203%20episode%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERick%20Famuyiwa%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPedro%20Pascal%20and%20Katee%20Sackhoff%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Red Sparrow
Dir: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Egerton, Charlotte Rampling, Jeremy Irons
Three stars
The specs: 2019 BMW i8 Roadster
Price, base: Dh708,750
Engine: 1.5L three-cylinder petrol, plus 11.6 kWh lithium-ion battery
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 374hp (total)
Torque: 570Nm (total)
Fuel economy, combined: 2.0L / 100km
Isle of Dogs
Director: Wes Anderson
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Liev Schreiber, Ed Norton, Greta Gerwig, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Scarlett Johansson
Three stars
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Carzaty%2C%20now%20Kavak%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECarzaty%20launched%20in%202018%2C%20Kavak%20in%20the%20GCC%20launched%20in%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20140%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Automotive%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECarzaty%20raised%20%246m%20in%20equity%20and%20%244m%20in%20debt%3B%20Kavak%20plans%20%24130m%20investment%20in%20the%20GCC%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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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.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
