The top Iranian and Russian diplomats have dismissed a plot by their US counterpart to press for the extension of a UN arms embargo against the Islamic Republic by resorting to a process outlined in a 2015 nuclear agreement that Washington has already abandoned.

Militants linked to the Islamic State (IS) terror group have increased their attacks in recent weeks against military forces and civilians in the desert region of Syria.

Russia has rejected as slander a Czech media report of an alleged poisoning plot against Prague officials, including the city’s mayor, as the Czech counterintelligence agency refuses to comment on the allegations.