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TEHRAN, Iran — A former senior Iranian nuclear negotiator has been charged with passing classified information to foreigners, including the British Embassy, the Iranian intelligence minister said Wednesday, according to the official IRNA news agency. Hossein Mousavian, who was a deputy of the top negotiator under reformist former President Mohammad Khatami, was briefly detained in May, again on suspicion of espionage, according to the semiofficial Fars news agency. "His crime from the viewpoint of the Intelligence Ministry is obvious and provable,” IRNA quoted Intelligence Minister Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi as saying.

Britain’s prime minister says airports need better security against car bombs

LONDON — Britain unveiled plans Wednesday to tighten defenses against car bombs at its airports and rail stations, with the country’s terrorism minister warning of a 30-year battle against extremists.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said airports and 250 of the busiest train terminals will get new blast barriers and impose strict limits on access for public vehicles. In addition, Internet and technology companies in Britain will be asked to help stop terrorist propaganda being distributed online, Brown said.

Brown did not elaborate on how access at airports and rail stations might be limited — or how that might affect passengers who already put up with what many call overcrowding and poor service at Heathrow International Airport in London.

In the past, Britain has erected security barriers around major buildings and taken steps such as eliminating garbage cans to prevent bombs from being hidden in them.

In the early 1990s, the city erected a so-called "ring of steel” around the financial district — a network of barriers, closed-circuit television cameras and other restrictions to guarantee security.

The review of nearly 900 public spaces was conducted following failed car bomb attacks in London’s West End entertainment district and Glasgow airport earlier this year.

Thousands of movie theaters, shopping malls, hospitals and schools will be advised on how to protect the public from bombs.

Brown said a review led by terrorism minister Alan West, former head of the Navy, had found no lapses in safety, but recommended extra protection against car bombs — a tactic once used by Irish Republican terrorists and now adopted by Islamic extremist groups.

The review came more than two years after the July 2005 suicide bombings on London’s transportation system that killed 52 people and the four British attackers.

Brown said new baggage checks will be introduced at major rail terminals, but restrictions limiting air passengers to one piece of hand luggage per flight are being relaxed.

He acknowledged that changes likely will spell more disruption for passengers, who already face strict baggage checks and long lines at security gates.

Some business leaders already claim to avoid London’s main Heathrow airport because of the associated hassles.

At a breakfast meeting with architects and security experts, West and Brown discussed plans to design new public buildings, including stadiums and concert arenas, to reduce the impact of explosions and shrapnel.

West, also a former head of defense intelligence, warned that the current threat of terrorism is likely to last for a generation.

"It will take 30 years to excise that cancer of terrorism, I believe,” he said.

Brown told parliament major work was needed to isolate extremist preachers and neutralize their message, particularly following worries school children have access to violent propaganda.

Jonathan Evans, head of the domestic spy agency MI5, claimed last week young teenagers were being radicalized to carry out terrorist plots.

Brown said Internet and technology companies will be asked to help stop the online distribution of terrorist propaganda, and he announced that a meeting would be convened by ministers.

Public libraries and universities will also check extremist literature is not being handed out on their premises.

Brown made no announcement on contentious proposals to extend the period police can hold terrorism suspects before they are charged or released.

Civil rights campaigners and many Muslims oppose raising the maximum of 28 days. Police claim the complexity of current plots means they need more time to investigate.