Iran has banned the Tehran bureau chief for the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya news channel and ordered him to leave the country, reported AP. A representative for the Dubai-based network said bureau chief Hassan Fahas’ press accreditation had been revoked and he had been declared a ‘persona non grata’. Iranian officials have long claimed that Al-Arabiya’s coverage of Iran is biased. It is unclear how the ban will affect Al-Arabiya’s office of a dozen reporters, producers and cameramen in Tehran.
