this is bbc world news today, broadcasting in the uk and around the world. and peter i'm geeta guru—murthy. the headlines: rising tension between the trump administration and iran. the us imposes new sanctions following a recent ballistic missile test — iran says they breach the deal under which it agreed to curb its nuclear programme. a man who was shot and injured after trying to attack french security forces outside a paris museum has been identified as a 29—year—old egyptian. also coming up — the un says myanmar‘s army has committed mass atrocities against the rohingya muslim minority, including systematic rape and the murder of children. searching for a new role after brexit — britain's prime minister offers to be a bridge between europe and the us. hello, and thanks forjoining us

today. the united states has imposed new sanctions on iran to punish it for a recent ballistic missile test, and for what was described as tehran‘s continued support for terrorism. the measures target 12 companies and 13 individuals in iran and elsewhere. iran said the sanctions breached the un deal under which it agreed to curb its nuclear programme. the white house spokesman, sean spicer, said president trump was determined to keep iran in check. these sanctions really represent a very very strong stand against the actions that iran has been taking, and make it very clear that the deal that was struck previously was not in the best interests of this country, and that president trump is going to do everything he can to make sure iran stays in check. these kind of sanctions don't happen quickly. but i think the timing of them is clearly in reaction to what we've seen, you know, over the last couple of days. we knew we have these options available to us because they had been worked through the process. well, the war of words

between the united states and iran was turned up with this comment from president trump on twitter. "iran is playing with fire — they don't appreciate how "kind" president obama was to them. not me." minutes later, iran's foreign minister mohammad javad zarif tweeted: "we will never use our weapons against anyone, except in self—defense. let us see if any of those who complain can make the same statement." i am nowjoined by bbc persian‘s bahman kalbasi in new york, and by hossein rassam, who was advisor on iran at the british foreign office and a senior officer at the british embassy in tehran. hejoins us from reading, south england. thank you very much to both of you. ifi thank you very much to both of you. if i can start with our guest, hossein rassam. hossein, just so people know your background on the

whole iran question, you were actually working for the british government in iran and you were taken into government in iran and you were ta ken into custody government in iran and you were taken into custody and accused of espionage. you have first—hand knowledge of what add iranians administration can do to people —— what the iranian administration. u nfortu nately, yes, what the iranian administration. unfortunately, yes, i do. not something to be proud of. back in 2009 i was working for the british embassy in tehran, political analyst for the embassy, and following the presidential elections and popular protests in the streets of tehran and some other cities, yes, i was arrested, originally accused of espionage, and later of acting against national security, and eventually i had to appear in a show trial, confessed against myself, and was convicted. you got out because pressure was put, i think, and to secure your release. people might

say, ok, do you support president trump taking this much tougher line on iran, in this case? lets not forget... i mean, these sanctions on these individuals and companies following the issue of the visa ban, so following the issue of the visa ban, so the message people in iran will get is that they were the primary targets of it offer approach, let's say, on iran, thanjust a targets of it offer approach, let's say, on iran, thanjusta number of companies and individuals, and more importantly, to many in iran obviously like anywhere else in the world, security is an important issue and security has provided a fantastic excuse for the iranians government to say, well, look at the region, look at the mess. we need missile power, we need to act strongly in syria, to defend our people. so i don't think this line,

this approach, is very constructive and very helpful. bahman kalbasi from the bbc in new york, president trump, you know, stated position on iran during the campaign. so this is not a surprise. what will it mean? it means we have entered an era again after two or three years of calm, that the us administration will use this language which includes subtle threats of military action, the famous sentence that all options are on the table, it had not been heard from the obama administration at least for two or three years, and now it is back. it also shows, as our guestjust said, this is not a new thing. there has been sanctions, even after the nuclear deal, imposed on iran, in some entities, when they did missile tests. but it was also coupled with

very intense diplomatic efforts by the us administration at the time, byjohn kerry, to keep the communication lines open to prevent it from escalating to a level that could cause harm, both to the nuclear deal, but also could possibly get out of hand. right now, that channel of communication does not exist. it seems that the trump administration is eager to ratchet up, both in the language they use and also in their actions, to say a new era has started, a new sheriff is in town, and that will not be the approach any more. in fact the national security adviser will make —— made a statement a couple of days ago saying iran is unnoticed, and issued a statement a couple of hours ago after the amendment of the sanctions, saying that the world has been too tolerant of iran's behaviour and in fact it has to be

much tougher. this language, the level of bluster has really gone up to something we had almost forgotten about in the us and iranian relations, even though they have many disagreements in the region and otherwise. but this, the trump administration signalling to the iranians government and the iranian people that they are back to using the old methods. bahman kalbasi from the old methods. bahman kalbasi from the bbc, and hossein rassam, sorry, we are out of time. but thank you both very much indeed. a french soldier has shot and seriously wounded a man who attacked guards at the louvre museum in paris. a police spokesman said the man — who was wielding a machete — had shouted, "god is greatest" in arabic. the french prime minister said it appeared to be a terrorist attack. france is still in a state of emergency because of the attacks in paris and nice. our correspondentjonny

dymond sent this report. in the heart of paris, at the entrance to one of its cultural treasures, an attacker is brought down by the military. he was stopped as he tried to enter the shops beneath the louvre. he was told he couldn't take his bags in. he shouted, "allahu akbar" — god is the greatest, in arabic. and then swung at a soldier with a machete. five shots were fired, all around, confusion and fear. translation: it happened very fast, really it all went quickly. everyone was panicking and we thought of our lives and we saw death coming for us, with everything's that's been happening at the moment. we were very very scared. and later, this footage showed an injured soldier being wheeled away for treatment. the french president in malta at the eu summit said it was a terrorist attack. the situation, he said, was under control. translation: the threat is there. it remains, and we have to face it. we mobilise our resources and will continue to do so as long as it is needed. for the authorities,

this was proof that the high—profile security presence in the capital and across france really does work. it was also a reminder of the attacks that took so many lives here, and of the threat that remains in paris and beyond. paris and france remain on alert. this attack was foiled, but few people think it will be the last. abuses against the muslim rohingya minority in myanmar may well amount to crimes against humanity. the un human rights office has released a report today detailing accounts of mass killings and gang rapes in rakhine state from more than 200 witnesses who have fled to neighbouring bangladesh. the un hasjust given more details, which are extremely distressing. one mother recounted to her

five—year—old daughter was trying to protect her from rape, five—year—old daughter was trying to protect herfrom rape, when five—year—old daughter was trying to protect her from rape, when a five—year—old daughter was trying to protect herfrom rape, when a man to get a long knife and killed her, slitting her by the thought. in another case an eight—month—old baby was reportedly killed while his mother was gang raped by five security officials. the devastating cruelty to which these rohingya children have been subjected to is unbearable, the high commissioner says. the high commissioner asks, what kind of hatred could make a man stabbed a crying baby, baby crying out for its mother's milk, and for the mother to witness this murder whilst being gang raped by the very security forces who should be protecting her, what kind of national security goals could possibly be served by this? our yangon correspondent jonah fisher explained the significance of this un report on rohingya crisis. as a starting point tis report feels like a game changer

in this rohingya crisis, which we have seen since october of last year. up until now, the burmese government has been able to effectively rubbish rohingya allegations that have been coming out of this closed area in northern rakhine state, saying it as propaganda, it is not true, and they have taken a very piecemeal approach to try to discredit news stories that have been done about alleged abuses. what is different here is that a trained human rights team, investigators from the united nations, have been in bangladesh, and they have spoken face—to—face with more than 200 rohingya along the border who fled out of myanmar across the board, and the numbers alleging rape are simply horrendous. more than 100 women were interviewed — ioi. and of those 101, 52 of them said they had been victims of rape or sexual violence of some sort, so this is no longer something which

the burmese government can simply deny as propaganda. we have the un going in there with this investigation and coming out with these alarming statistics, and tonight i think there is proof things here are shifting very rapidly. the burmese government spokesman called me himself today, and that in itself is quite clear, to tell me their position, that they would not be dismissing this report out of question, the sort of thing they would have dismissed in the past, that they are kicking it extremely seriously and are extra concerned by the allegations and will immediately be looking into them with their own investigation tea m them with their own investigation team and will take action against anyone who is found to have done anything wrong, so this feels like anything wrong, so this feels like an extremely significant moment in this rohingya crisis. thank you. now a look at some of the days other news: protesters in romania have again taken to the streets to demand that the government scrap decrees they fear will encourage already rampant corruption. the decrees announced late on wednesday would spare from jail anyone convicted of corruption involving less than $48,000. the new american defence secretary,

james mattis, is in tokyo as he continues his asia pacific tour — the first foreign trip by a member of president trump's cabinet. he's been meeting the japanese prime minister shinzo abe at his official residence. top of the agenda — the us—japan military alliance. eu leaders have been meeting in malta for theirfirst summit of the year. britain's prime minister theresa may used the meeting to press for more financial commitment to nato, but any scope for britain to be a bridge between donald trump and the eu seemed to get a rebuff in some quarters. here's our deputy political editorjohn pienaar. a stroll in the sun among europe's leaders, but soon theresa may will be walking alone after brexit. friends she believes like donald trump — she took his hand last week and took home his promise of 100% commitment to the nato alliance. officials have their uses, one high—ranking civil servant was suddenly appointed bag carrier today. she had work to do.

offering to help the eu in future just as she had helped the cause of nato. will that us relationship help in that? well, it is important that we got the 100% commitment to nato. because nato has been so crucial in keeping the security, protecting the security, notjust of the uk, but also of europe, and will do so in the future. but as we look to our negotiations what i want to build with the eu is a strong partnership, we want a strong continuing eu and a strong partnership because we are not leaving europe. we are leaving the eu. the prime minister's flying visit here is just part of her mission to hold onto britain's global clout after brexit. theresa may's hope, by showing she can deal with donald trump and get results, she will get a better brexit deal from eu leaders who may look to her to help fight europe's corner with the new president. but like so much of theresa may's

plan for brexit, it won't be easy. theresa may's welcome was warm enough at this informal summit, though she could be forgiven a few nerves. not everyone was interested in new ways to connect with president trump. "we've got twitter for that", one leader said. and president hollande insisted it was france's job to develop the eu's special relationship with america after brexit, but the eu council president donald tusk saw a role for theresa may and britain. the uk, inside or outside europe, can develop helpful, and i have no doubt... i have no doubt after today's discussions, what theresa may said, i have no doubt we can feel some kind of solidarity. but the summit host warned the eu would fight its own corner if necessary against president trump. we cannot stay silent where there are principles involved. and, as in any good relationship, we will have and we will speak very clearly where we think those principles are being trampled on. just now the moods almost amicable. eu leaders took a boat

ride together today, but hard negotiations to come will decide how far britain stays aboard with europe's future, or whether the uk will chart its own course alone. stay with us on bbc world news — still to come: worsening fighting in eastern ukraine between government forces and russian backed rebels — we meet the civilians trapped in the middle. a royal marine commando from northern ireland has pleaded guilty to hoarding explosives and making bombs. 31—year—old ciaran maxwell was arrested last year after police found two arms dumps in county antrim. unknown to the marines, while serving he had also been preparing for acts of terrorism, including compiling a list of targets, to be used by dissident republicans.

a bbc news investigation has revealed how sheffield city council failed to stop an employee, a predatory sex offender, from abusing his victims in council offices over two decades. roger dodds has been sentenced to 16 years in prison. the council was first told about the allegations against dodds back in 1981, but didn't inform the police. years later, following further allegations, they allowed him to take early retirement with an enhanced pension. the energy firm npower is raising its electricity and gas prices by an average of 10% — one of the largest rises by a "big six" energy supplierfor years. the decision has been brought into question by the energy regulator ofgem, which has called on npower to justify the price hike to its customers. this is bbc world news today. i'm geeta guru—murthy.

the headlines: rising tension between the trump administration and iran. the us imposes new sanctions following a recent ballistic missile test — iran says they breach the deal under which it agreed to curb its nuclear programme. a man who was shot and injured after trying to attack french security forces outside a paris museum has been identified as a 29—year—old egyptian. there's been more heavy fighting in eastern ukraine, with government forces and russian—backed rebels accusing each other of attacking civilians. fighting has intensified over the last few days, with the focus of some of the heaviest clashes on the government—held city of avdiivka — just over 10 miles from rebel—held donetsk. our correspondent tom burridge has been to avdiivka and sent this report. valentina's daughter was killed in the shelling over night. she was a young mother, and valentina knows she will soon have to tell her nine—year—old grandson. translation: the child still does not know his mother has gone, and i don't know how to tell him. who was firing,

asked the victim's cousin. who was responsible for eastern ukraine being covered in blood? we found her husband clearing up the family's apartment where his wife was killed. the reality is most of the civilians living in this city, just a short distance from the front line in that direction but you can hear the fighting now, a stockier, stuck in this conflict in eastern ukraine —— are stuck here. in the same apartment block was a british journalist, badly injured in the head. we met the ukraine army doctor who treated him. —— badly injured. injured in his face and in his eye. i think injured in his face and in his eye. ithinka injured in his face and in his eye. i think a fragment of the rocket went into his eye. he was lucky. because he didn't die? they are treating the injured and receiving

the dead at avdiivka's tiny hospital every day. this is the worst fighting in the city in ukraine in two years. the ukrainian army which holds the city is fighting russian backed separatists. ukraine and russia both blame each other for the increase in violence. civilians have also been killed in the separatist held city of donetsk. russia's claims the group it supports are in a battle for independence, but there is little evidence russia —— evidence russia fuels this conflict. back on the ukrainian held side, thousands are caught in the chaos. it is freezing in avdiivka, and many have lost heating in their homes. valentina says she sits there trembling as the night time routine of shelling begins. there nightmare of shelling begins. there nightmare of war never went away and now it is getting worse. let's catch up with all the sport

with lizzie greenwood—hughes now. everyone is in pink today! all the best people in pink! the davis cup is underway though two of the sport's big names are missing, with the world number one andy murray and world number four milos raonic resting, but dan evans has started well in the opening singles match, taking the first set against the 17—year—old wimbledon junior champion shapolalov. and in the first round serbia are beating russia 1—0. novak djokovic is leading in the third set. pep guardiola, the manager of manchester city, says his top scorer sergio aguero is still one of the team's

top players. he was dropped in favour of the new brazilian striker gabrieljesus but favour of the new brazilian striker gabriel jesus but pep favour of the new brazilian striker gabrieljesus but pep guardiola insists they still need sergio aguero in the attack. remains one of the most important players in our squad, so without him goals would not be possible. he has played all the games except once in barcelona for a tactical decision, and one here, that one against everton, but apart from that he has played all the games, and played well. the by the games, and played well. the rugby union's six nations championship begins this weekend. scotland and ireland get the men's tournament

underway tomorrow at 2.115. the provision has been good. it rained in training today, which can be good, a greasy ball. it can be good. we are sharpening our act mentally. the irish will be missing key players johnny mentally. the irish will be missing key playersjohnny sexton and peter omameh with the scots spurred by the return of their powerful centre jones, who has not featured since his breakthrough in their often clash with australia. i think since the autumn the expectation has gone up the autumn the expectation has gone upa bit, the autumn the expectation has gone up a bit, but that is nice for us. it shows people have confidence in us it shows people have confidence in us and back us so, yes, another challenge. onto golf and george coetzee leads the desert classic by

a shot, from sergio garcia. play was suspended on the second day with many suspended on the second day with ma ny letters com plete suspended on the second day with many letters complete —— left to com plete many letters complete —— left to complete their second rounds. a back spasm forced tiger woods to withdraw before his second round. the 1a time major winner only returned in december after 15 months out following two back operations, and he struggled in a demoralising for stra nzl would have needed he struggled in a demoralising for stranzl would have needed to make up a lot of ground to make the cut. —— demoralising first round. alastair cook was given his cbe medal for services to the sport by prince charles. there is however some uncertainty whether he wants to continue as captain after losing the test series to india. that is all the sport for now. back to you. thank you very much. we were glued,

but my team were supporting india, of course. we will end with some baby photographs. some gorgeous baby pictures that have absolutely delighted fans of the royalfamily in bhutan. photos to commemorate the first birthday of bhutan‘s young prince have been released — wearing the trademark royal yellow robes, he smiles with his favourite toy car. one fan gushed, ‘the royal baby has stolen my heart!‘ the country is ruled by king jingme khesar namgyel wangchuck, one of the youngest monarchs, and social media has transformed the family's public image. totally unsurprising. what a gorgeous baby! let mejust leave you, though, with our top stories today... the us has put new sanctions on iran. i'm geeta guru—murthy, and this is

bbc news. good evening. you may well have heard stories of the news today about vegetable shortages in some british supermarkets and shops and a lot of thatis supermarkets and shops and a lot of that is to do with the weather in southern europe that has been very poon southern europe that has been very poor. take murcia in southern spain, they had their first snowfall since backin they had their first snowfall since back in 1983. snow will not be a big problem over the next couple of days, but wind and rain could be. this small but very deep area of low pressure moving in now towards the north—west of iberia, here and in the south—west of france, into tomorrow morning, could see wind gusts of 90 mph, perhaps more, which could bring down trees and damaged buildings. it could cause a lot of rain as well. although the first storm system will clear, it is very u nsettled storm system will clear, it is very unsettled here, as we go through the weekend. there may well be more scenes like this, very dramatic pictures on the west coast of

portugal were those winds have been whipping up, big waves crashing onto the. to the other side of the pond, to the usa, and particularly california —— onto the shore. . this area has been gripped by an extreme drought but over the winter season there has been a lot of rain, causing flooding and disruption, but good news to ease that drought situation. the wet weather brought in on low pressure area is steered into the coast of california by the jet stream. notice how the jet stream, the wind is way up above our heads, high in the atmosphere, has been coming in from the south—west. that has helped to draw some very warm and moist air all the way from hawaii towards california. we call this the pineapple express and all of that warmth and moisture gets tied up in these areas of low pressure which then hold all that moisture and as the lows plough up into the mountains, the release that moisture in the form of lots of

rain. let's go back one year, to the situation in california. 64% of the state was covered by extreme or exceptional drought. watch how the red area has shrunk. this year, just 296 red area has shrunk. this year, just 2% of the state is covered by those really severe drought conditions, so things have been improving here. to the middle east, cold and windy weather has been the story, wind causing problems across the united arab emirates, temperatures well below par. through tonight into tomorrow, the winds eased a little and temperatures will bounce back a bit as well, 70 degrees in doha, pretty unimpressive for that part of the world —— 70 degrees. over here, yes, spells of rain, but dry weather and sunshine throughout. what about further ahead? and sunshine throughout. what about further ahead ? let's find and sunshine throughout. what about further ahead? let's find out in half an hour. the latest headlines: the us has

imposed new sanctions on iran to punish it for a recent ballistic missile test and what it calls terror and's continued support for terrorism. —— tehran‘s. the violence is likely to amount to crimes against humanity in my mr. in parisa crimes against humanity in my mr. in paris a man yielding a machete has been shot after he attacked security forces outside the louvre. —— against humanity in