Britain could send extra military assets to the Strait of Hormuz to deter any attempt by Iran to block Persian Gulf oil tanker traffic, the country’s defence secretary said, as Tehran insisted a European Union ban on the purchase of its oil would have little sting.

Iran says it has proposed a new round of talks on its nuclear programme with six world powers that have been trying for years to persuade Tehran to freeze aspects of its atomic work that could provide a possible pathway to weapons production.

Iran deliberately delayed its announcement that it had captured an American surveillance drone to test US reaction, the country’s foreign minister said today.

The UN General Assembly’s human rights committee expressed “deep concern” today about Iran’s use of flogging, stoning and amputations as punishment in an annual review of the rights situation in several countries worldwide.

WHY should an Iranian diplomat in Dublin condemn the Israeli attack on the Gaza aid flotilla? (Letters, June 4).

WITH reference to your report headlined ‘Iran: US forged atomic bomb plans’ (December 23), I wish to reiterate the sentiments of our president and foreign minister who state categorically that those “alleged” documents are indeed fabricated and are mischievously concocted in an effort to put psychological and political pressure on Iran.

IT is difficult to see why the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ebrahim Rahimpour, should see fit to involve himself in a controversy concerning a report on the Shannon stopover of the Israeli prime minister (Letters, November 25).

ON November 20 you published a letter from Zion Evrony replying to an article regarding Benjamin Netanyahu’s Shannon stopover.

IRAN yesterday failed to accept a UN-drafted plan that would ship most of the country’s uranium abroad for enrichment, saying instead it would prefer to buy the nuclear fuel it needs for a research reactor.

Iran turned down a key deal aimed at easing Western fears over its nuclear ambitions today.

Iran's new proposal for talks with the West promises wide-ranging negotiations but does not provide details of the country's disputed nuclear programme, according to a copy of the document published by an investigative group.

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad pledged a “crushing” response to continued US condemnation of his nation’s crackdown on postelection protest, saying today that President Barack Obama’s criticism revealed his insincerity about improving relations.

Iran moved a step closer to a final election victory declaration for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today when a leading critic of the voting announced he was withdrawing his objections "for the good of the country".

IRAN expelled two British diplomats yesterday after bitterly accusing Britain of meddling and spying. The government also dealt a fresh blow to the opposition by making clear it will not hold a new vote despite charges of fraud.

Opponents of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have clashed with police in the heart of Iran's capital, pelting them with rocks and setting fires in the worst unrest in Tehran in a decade.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tonight urged Iranians to accept his controversial victory in the presidential election.

The main Iranian opposition candidate today condemned “violations” in the Iranian presidential election.

Barack Obama told Iran's people today that the US wanted to engage with their country and end decades of strained relationship - if their leaders stopped making threats.

IRAN tested more missiles in the Gulf yesterday as the United States reminded Tehran that it was ready to defend its allies.

The commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned that if his country is attacked, Tehran would strike back by barraging Israel with missiles and controlling a key oil passageway in the Persian Gulf, according to a newspaper report published today.

Iran has expelled a German diplomat for “non-diplomatic activities”, the country’s foreign ministry said today.

THE armies of Turkey and Iran are massing troops along the Iraqi-Kurdish borders, threatening to invade the only relatively peaceful area of Iraq.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would like to attend a UN Security Council meeting to defend his country’s disputed nuclear program, state-run television reported today.

Iran today condemned the abduction of its diplomat in Baghdad, adding that it holds the United States responsible for his life.

Iran has turned away UN inspectors wanting to examine its underground nuclear site, heightening suspicions about its atomic agenda, diplomats and UN officials said today.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei today said that Tehran would continue to pursue nuclear technology, state television reported.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today shrugged off the decision to refer Iran’s nuclear programme to the UN Security Council, saying his country would never abandon its plans for the peaceful exploitation of atomic power.

Iran’s foreign minister today rejected Western demands to respond by next week to an international offer to bargain over Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei today called the stand-off over Tehran’s nuclear activities an unwarranted “Western outcry” and vowed not to surrender his country’s nuclear programme.

Iran’s deepening stand-off over its nuclear ambitions overshadowed trade talks between leaders of eight predominantly Muslim countries set for tomorrow, amid reports that the UN nuclear agency found new traces of weapons-grade uranium in Iran.

The Iranian president said today that his country was not afraid of US military action over its uranium enrichment program, but added that he thought any such strikes were very unlikely.

Iran warned today that it would not take UN actions against it lying down - nor would it give up its research-scale enrichment of uranium.

A defiant and threatening Iran said it would hide its nuclear program if the West took “harsh measures” after this week’s UN Security Council deadline for Tehran to suspend uranium enrichment.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said today that Washington was concerned over Iranian threats to share the nuclear technology it is developing with other countries.

Iran successfully test-fired a missile that can avoid radar and hit several targets simultaneously using multiple warheads, the military says.

IRAN successfully test-fired a missile that can avoid radar and hit several targets simultaneously using multiple warheads, the country's military said yesterday.

Iran today successfully test-fired a missile with the ability to avoid radar and hit several targets simultaneously, the air force chief of the elite Revolutionary Guards said.

Iran successfully test-fired a locally-made missile with the ability to carry a warhead and avoid radar, the airforce chief of the elite Revolutionary Guards said today.

Iran successfully test-fired a locally-made missile with the ability to carry a warhead and avoid radar, the airforce chief of the elite Revolutionary Guards said today.

Iran’s foreign minister today condemned what he called “unjustified propaganda” about his country's nuclear programme, and said he could not envisage reaching an agreement with Western countries that fear Tehran is seeking nuclear weapons.

Iran’s supreme leader said today that his country’s nuclear fuel programme was “irreversible”, warning that any retreat by Iran over its nuclear programme will be “breaking the country’s independence”.

IRAN yesterday rejected a Russian compromise in the stand-off over its suspect nuclear programme.

Iran will no longer consider a proposal to move its uranium enrichment programme to Russian territory and is instead considering large scale uranium enrichment at home, the Foreign Ministry spokesman said today.

Iran’s foreign minister yesterday demanded the immediate withdrawal of British forces from Basra, saying their presence had destabilised Iraq’s second-largest city.