BICOM

US Secretary of State John Kerry has said that he is “concerned” over Iranian support for terror groups such as Hezbollah.

Speaking during a visit to Saudi Arabia over the weekend in an apparent attempt to reassure Gulf states over seemingly warming US-Iran relations, Kerry said, “The United States remains concerned about some of the activities that Iran is engaged in in other countries,” including “support for terrorist groups like Hezbollah.” Earlier this month, the United States and European Union both lifted nuclear sanctions on Iran, after Tehran appeared to comply with a July agreement which requires Iran to significantly reduce its nuclear development over the next ten years.

The sanctions relief is expected to quickly unfreeze billions of pounds worth of Iranian assets and open the door to Iranian international trade. To that end, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani arrived yesterday in Rome during the first leg of a four-day European visit which will also see him welcomed in France. Rouhani is thought to be promoting trade and is widely expected to finalise Iran’s purchase of 114 Airbus planes. Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Lord Lamont, told the Independent yesterday that Iran is the world’s biggest emerging market since the Soviet Union 25 years ago, representing a “tremendous” opportunity for the UK. However, several media reports say that European banks are still very wary of doing business with Iran for fear of falling foul of remaining American restrictions.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International released a report yesterday which said that dozens of juvenile offenders are on death row in Iran, with at least four minors executed last year. The report said, “Iran continues to lag behind the rest of the world,” permitting death sentences for girls as young as nine and boys as young as fifteen.

This morning, Haaretz reports that United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has filed a complaint with the Iranian government, over plans by the Tehran municipality to hold a cartoon contest encouraging Holocaust denial.