Chris de Burgh’s ongoing campaign to take his brand of schmaltzy love songs to the people of the Middle East hit a hurdle today.

His much-touted plan to play a live concert in Tehran has come unstuck with Iranian officials claiming they have yet to be consulted.

The Irish crooner, best known for his middle-of–the road classic Lady in Red, sparked amused headlines last year when he announced he had permission to become the first major Western artist to perform in the country since the 1979 revolution.

Pity he forgot to tell the Iranians.

According to a report from Iran’s official news agency, IRNA, the country’s ministry of culture is still waiting for De Burgh to request a performance permit. As a result, it said, he does not have permission to perform there.

The Iran concert, planned for a 12,000-seater stadium in the capital, would have been the latest episode in De Burgh’s recent love affair with the Middle East.

In May he released a Farsi reworking of his song The Words ‘I love you’ with Iranian band Arian. He has also now recorded a duet with a young Lebanese singer, Tina Yamout, who he discovered last year.

A spokeswoman for De Burgh was today looking on the bright side, pointing out that although permission has not yet been granted, it has also not yet been denied.

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