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UK Convicts Austrian National Over ‘Terror Plot’ Against Iran International

A handout image released by the Metropolitan Police Service shows the custody photograph of Austrian national Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev (AFP)
A handout image released by the Metropolitan Police Service shows the custody photograph of Austrian national Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev (AFP)
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UK Convicts Austrian National Over ‘Terror Plot’ Against Iran International

A handout image released by the Metropolitan Police Service shows the custody photograph of Austrian national Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev (AFP)
A handout image released by the Metropolitan Police Service shows the custody photograph of Austrian national Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev (AFP)

A British court has sentenced an Austrian born in Chechnya to three and a half years in prison, convicting him of carrying out "hostile reconnaissance" against a London-based Iranian television channel.

Last Wednesday, a jury in London convicted Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev following a brief trial.

Dovtaev, 31, pleaded not guilty to possession of records containing information likely to be helpful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

He was detained by counterterrorism officers in west London last Feb. 11.

The Public Prosecution said that Dovtaev went to London to gather "hostile information" in connection with a building housing the Persian-language channel Iran International, whose journalists report on human rights violations believed to be being committed in Iran.

Paul Kelleher, Dovtayev's defense attorney, said there was every possibility his client was a "useful idiot" and that claims Iran would contemplate a terrorist attack on a news organization in England were "far-fetched."

But Judge Richard Marks expressed his "satisfaction with the criminal standards of evidence that an attack of some sort on Iran International was the plan of those behind this."

Iran refuted the British media's false allegations about harming presenters and broadcasters.

Iranian Chargé d'Affaires in London Mehdi Hosseini Mateen denied the British media's accusations of an "alleged Iranian plot" to assassinate two international television broadcasters living in London.

Mehr News Agency reported on Friday that Mateen rejected the claims of ITV News, saying they were baseless and similar to a Hollywood movie.

ITV News previously published a report claiming that the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) had contacted a human trafficker in Oct. 2022, offering $200,000 to assassinate two international broadcasters in London.

The Iranian Chargé d'Affaires said that the report claimed that the person hired was a double agent working with a Western intelligence organization and uncovered the plot.

Mateen added that regardless of the undeniable violent behaviors of the alleged London-based TV network against Iranian national security, Tehran is not linked to those who made these allegations.

The Iranian government classified Iran International as a terrorist organization based on its coverage of the protests that broke out in the country following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.

Amini died in September 2022, three days after the morality police in Tehran arrested her. Her death sparked widespread protests against political and religious leaders in Iran.

The suppression of these protests led to the deaths of hundreds, and the authorities arrested thousands of people.

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World

Erdogan Warns Black Sea Should Not Be 'Area of Confrontation' after Strikes

Turkish President Recep Erdogan addresses the media after the conclusion on the G20 Summit held at the Nasrec Expo Center in Johannesburg, South Africa, 23 November 2025. EPA/HALDEN KROG
Turkish President Recep Erdogan addresses the media after the conclusion on the G20 Summit held at the Nasrec Expo Center in Johannesburg, South Africa, 23 November 2025. EPA/HALDEN KROG
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Erdogan Warns Black Sea Should Not Be 'Area of Confrontation' after Strikes

Turkish President Recep Erdogan addresses the media after the conclusion on the G20 Summit held at the Nasrec Expo Center in Johannesburg, South Africa, 23 November 2025. EPA/HALDEN KROG
Turkish President Recep Erdogan addresses the media after the conclusion on the G20 Summit held at the Nasrec Expo Center in Johannesburg, South Africa, 23 November 2025. EPA/HALDEN KROG

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday warned that the Black Sea should not turn into an "area of confrontation" between Russia and Ukraine, after several strikes in recent weeks.

"The Black Sea should not be seen as an area of confrontation. This would not benefit Russia or Ukraine. Everyone needs safe navigation in the Black Sea," he was quoted as telling reporters aboard his plane, according to the official Anadolu news agency.

World

Indonesia Flood Death Toll Passes 1,000

The deadly torrential rains are one of the worst recent disasters to strike Sumatra. (AFP)
The deadly torrential rains are one of the worst recent disasters to strike Sumatra. (AFP)
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Indonesia Flood Death Toll Passes 1,000

The deadly torrential rains are one of the worst recent disasters to strike Sumatra. (AFP)
The deadly torrential rains are one of the worst recent disasters to strike Sumatra. (AFP)

Devastating floods and landslides have killed 1,003 people in Indonesia, rescuers said Saturday as the Southeast Asian nation grapples with relief efforts.

The disaster, which has hit the northwestern island of Sumatra over the past fortnight, has also injured more than 5,400, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said in its latest toll.

The deadly torrential rains are one of the worst recent disasters to strike Sumatra, where a tsunami wreaked havoc in 2004 in Aceh province, which lies at the northern tip of the island.

The final toll is expected to rise, with the disaster agency reporting 218 people are still missing.

With vast tracts of territory hit, 1.2 million residents have been forced to take refuge in temporary shelters.

Frustration has grown among flood victims, who have complained about the pace of relief efforts.

President Prabowo Subianto said Saturday the situation has improved, with several areas which had been cut off now accessible.

"Here and there, due to natural and physical conditions, there have been slight delays, but I checked all the evacuation sites: their conditions are good, services for them are adequate, and food supplies are sufficient," Prabowo said after visiting Langkat in North Sumatra province.

Costs to rebuild after the disaster could reach 51.82 trillion rupiah ($3.1 billion) and the Indonesian government has so far shrugged off suggestions that it call for international assistance.

World

Moscow, Tehran ‘Working Closely’ on Nuclear Program

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Peace Summit in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Friday (Tasnim). 
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Peace Summit in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Friday (Tasnim). 
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Moscow, Tehran ‘Working Closely’ on Nuclear Program

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Peace Summit in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Friday (Tasnim). 
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Peace Summit in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Friday (Tasnim). 

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that relations between Moscow and Tehran are “developing very positively,” stressing that the two countries are working in close coordination at the United Nations on Iran’s nuclear program.

He made the remarks during talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the International Peace and Trust Summit in Ashgabat.

According to Russian media, Putin said Russia is cooperating with Iran at the Bushehr nuclear power plant and on major infrastructure projects, including the North–South Transport Corridor.

He added that the two sides are also exploring cooperation in the gas and electricity sectors.

Pezeshkian, quoted by Iranian and Russian media, reaffirmed Tehran’s commitment to implementing the comprehensive strategic partnership agreement with Moscow.

He said Iran is “determined to activate the agreement” and expects Russia to accelerate implementation of joint understandings, particularly in energy, transport and strategic transit corridors.

The Iranian president said Iran would complete its share of the groundwork for the North–South Corridor by the end of the year, noting growing economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

He also called for strengthening multilateral partnerships within frameworks such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS to counter what he described as “unilateralism.”

Russia and Iran aim to expand economic ties through projects such as the International North–South Transport Corridor, a multimodal route linking northern and southern Asia via sea, rail and road networks.

The corridor is intended to speed up cargo transport between Russia and India through Iran and other countries while reducing costs compared with traditional routes. The project is seen as part of Moscow’s efforts to deepen trade links with Central Asia and Europe and to lessen reliance on longer maritime routes.

Putin said bilateral trade between Russia and Iran increased by 13 percent last year and by 8 percent in the first nine months of the current year, underscoring continued cooperation in energy and infrastructure. He added that coordination between Moscow and Tehran on international issues remains “close and ongoing.”

On the sidelines of the summit, Pezeshkian also met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, with both sides agreeing on the need to accelerate implementation of bilateral agreements and enhance cooperation in transport, transit, energy and border infrastructure, according to Iran’s Mehr News Agency.