Iran bans hard-line paper for 2 days over threat to Dubai

TEHRAN, Iran — A semi-official Iranian news agency says authorities have ordered a two-day ban on hard-line newspaper Kayhan after it ran a headline saying Dubai was the “next target” for Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

ISNA reports that Kayhan was ordered not to publish on Saturday and Sunday, after it ignored a previous notice from the Tehran prosecutor.

Kayhan ran the headline after Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired a ballistic missile that was intercepted near the Saudi capital. Iran supports the Houthis but has denied Saudi and US allegations that it has given them missiles and other weapons.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, home to Dubai, are close allies and have been battling the Houthis since March 2015.

Iran has a long history of shutting down local media over security charges.

— AP