Brazil asylum unlikely for condemned Iranian woman

Tehran: Iran signalled Wednesday it would likely reject the Brazilian president's offer to give refuge to an Iranian woman convicted of adultery and sentenced to death by stoning.

The case of 43-year-old Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani triggered an international outcry that prompted Iran to at least temporarily withdraw the stoning part of her sentence. The mother of two could still be hanged, however.

"As far as we know, [Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula] da Silva is a very humane and emotional person who probably has not received enough information about the case," ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said.

Further information would be provided to the president to clarify the situation about "an individual who is a convicted offender," he added.

Iran said Sakineh had also been convicted of murder.

The outcry over the sentence is one of the latest thorns in Iran's relationship with the international community which has urged Tehran to stay the execution.

Da Silva said on Saturday that Brazil could give her political asylum. His government has built closer relations with Tehran in recent years and worked with Turkey to resolve Iran's dispute with the West over its nuclear programme.