British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband informed his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araqchi, during a meeting between them, that the United Kingdom “will not tolerate any intimidation, threat or hostile activity on British soil” by groups linked to Tehran.
A Sky News report, citing the British Foreign Office, stated that Miliband and Araghchi met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York.
The report added that the two sides discussed the war in the Middle East and the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, in addition to Britain’s “firm determination to confront the threats posed by groups linked to Iran on British soil.”
The National Cyber Security Center in Britain reported last week that parties active in cyberspace and linked to the state in Iran used spyware known as “chosenbreak” to steal emails, text messages, and other sensitive information, through “targeted phishing” campaigns through messaging platforms including WhatsApp and Telegram.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called on London on Thursday to show “courage” and “political will” to settle the historical dispute over Athens’ restoration of the famous Parthenon sculptures located in the British Museum.
Mitsotakis wrote in the British newspaper “The Guardian”: “What we need today is the political will and courage to take the decisive step, collect the sculptures again and turn a historical dispute into an exceptional step that reflects the cultural friendship between the two countries.”
Mitsotakis pointed out that British Prime Minister Andy Burnum had previously announced his support for returning the sculptures to Greece “without conditions.”
However, in August, the Labor leader told the Financial Times that this issue was exclusively concerned with the British Museum.
Mitsotakis' statement comes amid reports of faltering negotiations that began in 2021 between the British institution and Greece, according to what the Telegraph newspaper reported on Wednesday.
A spokesman for the museum did not confirm this information, but merely told Agence France-Presse on Wednesday evening that “the museum’s position and openness to reaching an agreement have not changed.”
Danish military intelligence reported today (Thursday) an increasing risk of Russia taking military action against a member state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), stressing at the same time that the possibility of a comprehensive Russian invasion is “extremely unlikely,” but it remains possible, according to what was reported by Agence France-Presse.
European countries are on high alert in anticipation of any Russian intervention, amid fears that Moscow will target Western countries supporting Kiev, with more than four and a half years having passed since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The head of Danish military intelligence, Thomas Ahrenkel, explained during a press conference in which he presented the latest assessment of the Russian threat: “There is a small but increasing risk that Russia will launch limited military attacks against a NATO member state neighboring Russia.”
He added: “We still consider it very unlikely that Russia would see any interest in invading a NATO member state, but we cannot rule out this possibility.”
In its assessment, the agency suggested that Russia would carry out more “multi-means attacks” against targets in the West.
He noted that such attacks in the past were “primarily aimed at intimidation and weakening popular support for helping Ukraine.”
But he pointed out that these operations have now begun to include movements aimed at preventing support from reaching Ukraine, such as acts of sabotage against defense companies or railway lines transporting military equipment.
The agency noted that Russia will intensify these operations, including “devastating cyberattacks that paralyze vital social functions.”
The agency also reported a small possibility that Russia would launch a limited military attack even as the war in Ukraine continued, in an attempt to redirect European resources away from Kiev.
He explained in his report that “launching a limited military attack would be a desperate step on Russia’s part, and it may take place along the lines of intense multi-means attacks in the coming months.”
But he pointed out that "the mobilization of forces requires several months of preparation and will be difficult to hide."
Ehrenkel stressed that although “Russia's increasing willingness to take risks has consequences for the security situation in Denmark,” particularly through multi-media attacks, this does not mean that Russia is about to attack a Scandinavian country.
He stressed: “We do not expect a conventional Russian military attack on Denmark.”
The Danish National Security and Intelligence Service said in a statement that the current situation “may lead to increased Russian influence activities, as well as the risk of espionage and sabotage in Denmark.”
The agency previously indicated that sabotage operations mainly threaten defense industries and aid granted to Ukraine.
