Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran before his trip to New York and the UN General Assembly. Wana
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran before his trip to New York and the UN General Assembly. Wana
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran before his trip to New York and the UN General Assembly. Wana
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran before his trip to New York and the UN General Assembly. Wana

Iran's President Raisi denies sending arms to Russia


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Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi on Monday denied his country had sent drones to Russia for the war in Ukraine, as the US claims Iran not only provided the weapons but is helping Russia to build a plant to make them.

“We are against the war in Ukraine,” Mr Raisi said as he met with media executives on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

He said if the US has “a document that Iran gave weapons or drones to the Russians after the war”, they should produce it.

He spoke hours after five Americans imprisoned by Iran arrived in Qatar, freed in a deal that involved President Joe Biden agreeing to unfreeze nearly $6 billion in Iranian assets held in South Korea.

Tehran has been sanctioned by the US and EU for its suspected weapons supplies to Moscow, which analysts say have increased as the conflict has progressed, and has repeatedly denied sending drones and missiles to Russia.

Ukraine regularly accuses Russia of killing civilians in drone strikes using Iranian-made Shahid models.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Iran to halt its aid to Russia, calling on Tehran to halt its slide “to the dark side of history".

The UN has been urged to investigate claims of Iranian weapon supplies to Moscow, with western powers saying such deals are contrary to the 2015 nuclear deal.

Washington's UN ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said investigators should be sent to Kyiv to study the origin of the suspected Iranian drones.

The White House has said Tehran is helping Moscow to build a drone factory east of Moscow, according to an intelligence report released in June.

Satellite imagery showed a site 900km east of Moscow, which National Security Council spokesman John Kirby claimed could be fully operational by next year.

Russia drone factory. Photo: White House
Russia drone factory. Photo: White House

He condemned Tehran's “defence partnership” with Moscow as “harmful to Ukraine, to Iran’s neighbours and to the international community” and said Russia had been “terrorising” Ukrainian civilians with Iranian-made drones.

Also on Monday, the head of the UN's nuclear agency said he has asked to meet Mr Raisi on the sidelines of the UNGA to try to reverse Tehran's ban on a “very sizeable chunk” of its nuclear inspectors.

Rafael Grossi said he wrote to Mr Raisi to tell him it is “very important” to discuss Tehran’s targeting of inspectors, including “some of the best and most experienced".

“I’m waiting for an answer,” Mr Grossi told AP on Monday.

“It’s very difficult to get the expertise to go to very sophisticated uranium enrichment facilities. So, when you start limiting that … I have to say, this is not good. Stop it.”

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.” 

While you're here
The specs
 
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Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
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The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer

Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000

Engine 3.6L V6

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm

Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km

FIGHT%20CARD
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFeatherweight%204%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EYousuf%20Ali%20(2-0-0)%20(win-loss-draw)%20v%20Alex%20Semugenyi%20(0-1-0)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWelterweight%206%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EBenyamin%20Moradzadeh%20(0-0-0)%20v%20Rohit%20Chaudhary%20(4-0-2)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EHeavyweight%204%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EYoussef%20Karrar%20(1-0-0)%20v%20Muhammad%20Muzeei%20(0-0-0)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWelterweight%206%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMarwan%20Mohamad%20Madboly%20(2-0-0)%20v%20Sheldon%20Schultz%20(4-4-0)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESuper%20featherweight%208%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EBishara%20Sabbar%20(6-0-0)%20v%20Mohammed%20Azahar%20(8-5-1)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECruiseweight%208%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMohammed%20Bekdash%20(25-0-0)%20v%20Musa%20N%E2%80%99tege%20(8-4-0)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESuper%20flyweight%2010%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESultan%20Al%20Nuaimi%20(9-0-0)%20v%20Jemsi%20Kibazange%20(18-6-2)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELightweight%2010%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EBader%20Samreen%20(8-0-0)%20v%20Jose%20Paez%20Gonzales%20(16-2-2-)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Day 3, Dubai Test: At a glance

Moment of the day Lahiru Gamage, the Sri Lanka pace bowler, has had to play a lot of cricket to earn a shot at the top level. The 29-year-old debutant first played a first-class game 11 years ago. His first Test wicket was one to savour, bowling Pakistan opener Shan Masood through the gate. It set the rot in motion for Pakistan’s batting.

Stat of the day – 73 Haris Sohail took 73 balls to hit a boundary. Which is a peculiar quirk, given the aggressive intent he showed from the off. Pakistan’s batsmen were implored to attack Rangana Herath after their implosion against his left-arm spin in Abu Dhabi. Haris did his best to oblige, smacking the second ball he faced for a huge straight six.

The verdict One year ago, when Pakistan played their first day-night Test at this ground, they held a 222-run lead over West Indies on first innings. The away side still pushed their hosts relatively close on the final night. With the opposite almost exactly the case this time around, Pakistan still have to hope they can salvage a win from somewhere.

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  • Flexible work arrangements
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  • Financial well-being incentives 
Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
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  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStreaming%20on%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMBC%20Shahid%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Updated: September 19, 2023, 6:46 AM`