Berlin - The European Union followed Germany's lead Monday in voicing concern at the enforced closure of the Tehran office of Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi.

The French EU presidency called on Iranian authorities to reopen the office of the human rights lawyer immediately.

In a declaration, the EU condemned the closure of Ebadi's office in the strongest terms, saying Iran had to comply with international obligations in regard to human rights as well as accord the office the legal status it has sought after for decades.

Tehran  - Malaysian Prime Minster Abdullah Ahmad Badawi arrived on Sunday for a three-day visit and talks with Iranian officials, state television reported.

Tehran - Iran on Sunday warned the United States over the dispatch of a further 3,000 troops to Afghanistan early next year in support of some 30,000 troops already involved in the conflict with the Taliban.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said in a press briefing in Tehran that the US should be careful of the consequences of its new policies in Afghanistan and not make the same mistakes as in Iraq.

US media on Saturday reported that Defence Secretary Robert Gates ordered the deployment of an additional combat aviation brigade, equipped with attack and transport helicopters.

Tehran  - The police on Sunday closed and sealed off the office of Nobel Prize winner Shirin Ebadi in Tehran, sources close to Ebadi said.

Tehran (Iran), Dec 21: The restoration of the tomb of the founder of the Persian Empire, Cyrus the Great, has been completed and its metal scaffolding removed.

According to a report by the FARS News Agency, after three stages of restoration, the structure, in Iran, stands strong and will not sustain any further damage.

Hassan Rahsaz, manager of the restoration work, said that the restoration and documentation of the process has been carried out with great precision by 8 archeological experts and modern-day equipment.

The first stage of restoration began in 2000 when metal scaffolding was put around the tomb to allow experts to access every inch of the stone exterior to find, document and restore the damage to its 180 bricks and the 11 slabs of stone that make up its roof.

New Delhi, Dec 19 : Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran Mohammad Mehdi Akhoundzadeh met External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee here last evening.

India and Iran had held talks on the proposed 7.4 billion dollar Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project on Wednesday.

According to reports, the two sides discussed ways to break the deadlock over the project during a high-level meeting.

The Indian side was led by Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon while the Iranian side was led by Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Mehdi Akhoundzadeh.

Earlier, both sides had decided to set up a trilateral Ministerial mechanism to resolve various issues related to the project.