Ofcom has reversed its decision to revoke the broadcasting licence of Press TV, the Iranian state broadcaster’s English-language outlet, as tensions rise between Britain and the Islamic republic.

The regulator told Press TV last month that it was minded to ban it from broadcasting in the UK after the channel aired an interview with Maziar Bahari, an imprisoned Newsweek journalist, that had been conducted under duress.

However, after hearing final submissions from the broadcaster, and amidst a crisis in bilateral relations that has seen Britain withdraw members of its diplomatic mission from its Tehran embassy after the building was stormed by protesters, Ofcom is understood to have downgraded the sanction to a fine of £100,000 (€116,000).

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