DUBAI: Tehran rejects “accusations” put forward by a British security official, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Wednesday, a day after UK’s MI5 spy chief said 20 Iran-backed potentially lethal plots had been disrupted in Britain since January 2022.
In a wide-ranging speech on Tuesday outlining the current threat picture, Security Service (MI5) Director General Ken McCallum accused Iran of being behind “plot after plot” on British soil.
McCallum said state threat investigations were up 48 percent in the last year as Russia and Iran turned to criminals, drug traffickers and proxies to carry out their “dirty work.”
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson dismissed what he described in a statement as repetitive accusations over the last two years by the British security official, whom he did not name.
Baghaei accused the British of hosting “terrorist” groups that take advantage of free speech to promote violence, according to the statement and asked London to reconsider its policies toward “the nation of Iran and West Asia.”
![]()
Iran rejects UK security official’s ‘accusations against Iran’, foreign ministry says
Short Url
https://arab.news/6mbst
Iran rejects UK security official’s ‘accusations against Iran’, foreign ministry says
Netherlands returns 3,500-year-old looted sculpture to Egypt
THE HAGUE: The Netherlands on Thursday returned a 3,500-year-old sculpture to Egypt after the looted artefact resurfaced at a Dutch art fair in 2022.
An investigation by Dutch police and cultural heritage inspectorate confirmed in 2025 the sculpture had been plundered and unlawfully removed from Egypt, most likely during the Arab Spring unrest of 2011, before appearing on the international art market.
Experts believe the artefact, a stone head that was originally part of a block statue, originated from Luxor in southern Egypt. It depicts a senior official from the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose III (1479–1425 BC).
It was confiscated in 2022 at an art fair in the Dutch city of Maastricht. Art dealer Sycomore Ancient Art, which had acquired the piece but had doubts about its provenance, voluntarily surrendered it following the inquiry.
“Our policy is to return what doesn’t belong to us and to return it always to the rightful cultural group or country,” Dutch Culture Minister Gouke Moes said in handing over the artefact to the Egyptian ambassador.
Egyptian Ambassador Emad Hanna said his country tracks artefacts that appear in exhibitions or auctions.
“It means a lot to us when it comes to tourism and economy, because at the end of the day, when tourists come to Egypt to see these things, it definitely makes a difference,” Hanna said.
Egypt’s plans to display the sculpture were not yet clear.
An investigation by Dutch police and cultural heritage inspectorate confirmed in 2025 the sculpture had been plundered and unlawfully removed from Egypt, most likely during the Arab Spring unrest of 2011, before appearing on the international art market.
Experts believe the artefact, a stone head that was originally part of a block statue, originated from Luxor in southern Egypt. It depicts a senior official from the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose III (1479–1425 BC).
It was confiscated in 2022 at an art fair in the Dutch city of Maastricht. Art dealer Sycomore Ancient Art, which had acquired the piece but had doubts about its provenance, voluntarily surrendered it following the inquiry.
“Our policy is to return what doesn’t belong to us and to return it always to the rightful cultural group or country,” Dutch Culture Minister Gouke Moes said in handing over the artefact to the Egyptian ambassador.
Egyptian Ambassador Emad Hanna said his country tracks artefacts that appear in exhibitions or auctions.
“It means a lot to us when it comes to tourism and economy, because at the end of the day, when tourists come to Egypt to see these things, it definitely makes a difference,” Hanna said.
Egypt’s plans to display the sculpture were not yet clear.
Latest updates
© 2026 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.