CenterHigh
BBC NewsNews report · Jul 31, 6:42 AM
British man accused of spying on Cyprus RAF base for Iran
Rashad Sultanov, a UK-Azerbaijan national, was arrested in Cyprus on suspicion of spying on RAF Akrotiri.
← Today's headlines
10 sources checked · Left, Center, and Right included · 1h ago
Mostly Same
British man accused of spying on Cyprus RAF base for Iran
Most headlines report a British man's arrest for suspected spying for Iran, while one specifies his nationality and the alleged Iranian entity.
2 Left4 Center4 Right
MOSTLY SAME
As of July 31, 2026 at 10:33 AM, this is how Optics News reads the wording differences in this story.
What happened Rashad Sultanov, a UK-Azerbaijan national, was arrested in Cyprus on suspicion of spying on RAF Akrotiri.
The headline split The left frames it as "British man arrested on suspicion of spying at Cyprus RAF base for Iran". The right frames it as "‘Taxi driver’, 45, is arrested over ‘spying for Iran’ at RAF base in Cyprus targeted by b...".
Match confidence High confidence. 10 sources checked, Left/Center/Right all represented. Best read as a clear framing signal — not a fact-check.
Same-event confidenceHigh
10 sources across Left, Center, and Right all describe the same event.
Framing confidenceMild
30/99 — small wording differences, not a major framing split.
WHAT EACH SIDE EMPHASIZED
Left / center-leftBritish man arrested on suspicion of spying at Cyprus RAF base for Iran
The Independent · Center-left · News report
CenterBritish man accused of spying on Cyprus RAF base for Iran
BBC News · Center · News report
Right / center-rightBritish-Azerbaijani national arrested for allegedly spying on airbase in Cyprus for Iran's IRGC
The Jerusalem Post · Center-right · News report
SEE THE HEADLINES
Open source
Center-rightMostly Factual
The Jerusalem PostNews report · Jul 31, 10:33 AM
British-Azerbaijani national arrested for allegedly spying on airbase in Cyprus for Iran's IRGC
British-Azerbaijani nationalIRGC
Rashad Sultanov, 44, from Islington in north London, was arrested on July 17 by Cypriot authorities and is being held in custody as extradition proceedings progress, the Metropolitan Police...
CenterMostly Factual
The Straits TimesNews report · Jul 31, 7:41 AM
Man suspected of spying on UK military base for Iran arrested in Cyprus
LONDON, July 31 - A dual British-Azerbaijani national has been arrested in Cyprus on suspicion of spying on a British air base on the Mediterranean island and passing information to Iran's...
Center-leftMostly Factual
The IndependentNews report · Jul 31, 7:22 AM
British man arrested on suspicion of spying at Cyprus RAF base for Iran
Rashad Sultanov, 44, is being held in custody as extradition proceedings progress
Center-leftMixed
The Mirror UKNews report · Jul 31, 7:19 AM
British man arrested in Cyprus accused of 'hostile surveillance' at RAF Akrotiri
A British man is accused of carrying out hostile surveillance at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus before allegedly passing information to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp.
RightMixed
The SunNews report · Jul 31, 7:03 AM
‘Taxi driver’, 45, is arrested over ‘spying for Iran’ at RAF base in Cyprus targeted by barrage of drones
A BRITISH "taxi driver" has been arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran at an RAF base in Cyprus - which was later targeted by drones. Rashad Sultanov, 44 - a dual UK and Azerbaijani nati...
Show all 10 sources
Center-rightMixed
Daily MailNews report · Jul 31, 6:58 AM
British taxi driver fights extradition to UK over claims he spied on RAF base in Cyprus for Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Taxi driver Rashad Sultanov, 45, a dual British-Azerbaijani national who claimed to import pomegranate juice into the UK, is suspected of monitoring RAF fighter jet movements for Tehran.
CenterHigh
Financial Times - WorldNews report · Jul 31, 6:36 AM
British Airways owner IAG ditches growth plans amid Iran conflict
Soaring fuel prices force airline group to cut capacity
CenterHigh
The Belfast TelegraphNews report · Jul 31, 6:29 AM
British man accused of spying for Iran at RAF base could be extradited to UK
Center-rightHigh
Sky NewsNews report · Jul 31, 5:06 AM
Man arrested in Cyprus in first overseas National Security Act investigation
A man has been arrested in Cyprus as part of the first investigation using the National Security Act in relation to alleged offences in an overseas territory.
Details30/99 Wording Gap · High confidence · 10 sources
30/99 Wording GapHigh confidence10 sources · 3 bias bucketsStable · 10 sources · all three buckets · comparable news formatFormats: News report
SOURCE MAP CHANGES
Jul 31, 5:06 AM: Sky News joined the source map.
Jul 31, 6:29 AM: The Belfast Telegraph joined the source map.
Jul 31, 6:36 AM: Financial Times - World joined the source map.
Jul 31, 6:42 AM: BBC News joined the source map.
Now: Wording Gap is 30/99 and story health is stable · 10 sources · all three buckets · comparable news format.