• Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Thursday, January 15, 2026
itida
Egyptian Gazette

Editor-in-Chief

Mohamed Fahmy

Board Chairman

Tarek Lotfy

  • HOME
  • EGYPT
    • Local
    • Features
  • World
    • National Day
  • Technology
  • BUSINESS
    • Real Estate
    • Automotive
  • SPORTS
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • Arts
    • Health
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Skyward
    • Snippets from EgyptAir history
  • MORE
    • Multimedia
      • Video
      • Podcast
      • Gallery
    • OP-ED
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • EGYPT
    • Local
    • Features
  • World
    • National Day
  • Technology
  • BUSINESS
    • Real Estate
    • Automotive
  • SPORTS
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • Arts
    • Health
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Skyward
    • Snippets from EgyptAir history
  • MORE
    • Multimedia
      • Video
      • Podcast
      • Gallery
    • OP-ED
No Result
View All Result
Egyptian Gazette
Home World

Britain closes embassy in Iran

by News Wires
January 15, 2026
in World
Britain closes embassy in Iran 1 - Egyptian Gazette
Share on FacebookWhatsapp

Britain has evacuated its Iranian embassy amid fears of an imminent US strike.

The British ambassador to Tehran and all other consular staff vacated the embassy on Wednesday following an assessment of the security situation.

The closure was described as temporary by the Foreign Office.

British troops, along with their American counterparts, were also withdrawn from the al-Udeid US-run air base in Qatar ahead of potential military action.

An RAF plane arrived at the Qatari base on Wednesday morning and was flying back to the British base at Akrotiri in Cyprus hours later, according to flight tracking data.

Other US troops have also been moved out of bases in Iraq, out of fear of a potential retaliatory Iranian attack.

Officials warned on Wednesday that the US could strike within 24 hours, with two European officials telling Reuters that military intervention was probable.

Regional allies were told that a strike was “more likely than not,” a US official told the Wall Street Journal.

An Israeli official also said it appeared Mr Trump had made a decision to take action, though the scope and timing were not yet clear.

On Wednesday night, Iran closed its airspace to nearly all flights.

The Islamic Republic issued a notice to air mission (Notam) shortly after 1.30am local time (10pm GMT) blocking all flights except international arrivals and departures with prior government permission.

Iran’s airspace rapidly emptied shortly after the announcement of the notice, which was due to last for at least two hours, with only five aircraft visible over the country, FlightRadar24 data show.

The Foreign Office also warned against all but essential travel to Israel amid the prospect of escalating violence in the region.

Despite this, Mr Trump played down the threat of imminent military action, telling reporters in the Oval Office that he had been assured the killing of protesters had stopped.

Asked if he was still considering an intervention, Mr Trump added: “We’re going to watch and see what the process is but we were given a very good, very good statement by people that are aware of what’s going on.”

On Wednesday, there was a flurry of diplomatic activity, with Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, calling Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, and Saudi Arabia warning Washington that any attempt to topple the Islamic Republic in Tehran would destabilise the region and disrupt global oil markets.

Tags: IranstrikeUS
ADVERTISEMENT
egyptian-gazette-logo

The Egyptian Gazette is the oldest English-language daily newspaper in the Middle East.
It was first published on January 26, 1880 and it is part of El Tahrir Printing and Publishing House.

Follow Us

Gazette Notifications

Would you like to receive notifications on our latest news ?

  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

Copyrights for © Egyptian Gazette - Administered by Digital Transformation Management.

No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • EGYPT
    • Local
    • Features
  • World
    • National Day
  • Technology
  • BUSINESS
    • Real Estate
    • Automotive
  • SPORTS
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • Arts
    • Health
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Skyward
    • Snippets from EgyptAir history
  • MORE
    • Multimedia
      • Video
      • Podcast
      • Gallery
    • OP-ED

Copyrights for © Egyptian Gazette - Administered by Digital Transformation Management.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.