America has “misread” Iran’s involvement in the Israel-Gaza war and does not understand the danger the regime poses to the Middle East, a former US national security adviser has said.
John Bolton, who served in the Donald Trump administration, told British MPs the attacks on shipping in the Red Sea on Sunday proved Iran was escalating its proxy wars.
He said Tehran had a “ring-of-fire strategy” in which it intended to “cripple Israel” by surrounding it with hostile states and groups including Hezbollah, Hamas, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
“From the US perspective here, I think the [Joe Biden] administration has misread Iran,” he told the UK Parliament’s foreign affairs committee.
“We in the West in general do not understand the severity of the threat that Iran poses to the region,” he said. “Iran is calling shots and the West is responding.”
This inhibited western powers' ability to “respond in a strategic fashion” to what was “ultimately the revolutionary fervour” in Iran.
Mr Bolton suggested Washington playing down Iran's role in the Hamas attacks on October 7 was in part because its plans to resurrect a nuclear agreement with Tehran had failed and would force policymakers to concede they had erred.
“I think there's confusion in the administration's policy because of the unwillingness to acknowledge the centrality of Iran in Israel,” he said.
The former US ambassador to the UN added this was why the administration wanted to suggest “the threat of terrorism internationally is down, which it is manifestly not these days”.
It was vital the West got “better intelligence on Iran, as this is really important”, he urged.
On the Red Sea missile strikes, Mr Bolton said the Houthis in Yemen would not have the ability to attack shipping as “they wouldn't have two rocks to rub together to get that capability if they didn't come from Iran”.
Meanwhile, as an interim arrangement on the two-state solution, he suggested Gaza was divided in two, with Israel controlling the northern part and Egypt the south until an enduring settlement was found. “Gaza is a refugee camp with no viable economy,” Mr Bolton said.
This would also allow Israel and Jordan to come to a final agreement on resolving the problems of the occupied West Bank.
“This is looking at the welfare of the Palestinian people – how do they get out of the interminable refugee camp that Gaza has become?” he said, speaking from Washington via a video link.
The US also had to make it clear to Gulf states whether it was going to “stand up to Iran” because if it was “moving out of the neighbourhood”, this would influence the region’s policy towards Tehran.
The former adviser to Mr Trump was asked about the potential impact of another White House term for his ex-boss.
Mr Bolton, who no longer supports the former president, said: “Trump has a very idiosyncratic way of looking at foreign policy”, which was “transactional and very much depends on the benefits to Donald Trump”.
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Fixtures
Tuesday - 5.15pm: Team Lebanon v Alger Corsaires; 8.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Pharaohs
Wednesday - 5.15pm: Pharaohs v Carthage Eagles; 8.30pm: Alger Corsaires v Abu Dhabi Storms
Thursday - 4.30pm: Team Lebanon v Pharaohs; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Carthage Eagles
Friday - 4.30pm: Pharaohs v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Team Lebanon
Saturday - 4.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Team Lebanon
EMILY%20IN%20PARIS%3A%20SEASON%203
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The bio:
Favourite film:
Declan: It was The Commitments but now it’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
Heidi: The Long Kiss Goodnight.
Favourite holiday destination:
Declan: Las Vegas but I also love getting home to Ireland and seeing everyone back home.
Heidi: Australia but my dream destination would be to go to Cuba.
Favourite pastime:
Declan: I love brunching and socializing. Just basically having the craic.
Heidi: Paddleboarding and swimming.
Personal motto:
Declan: Take chances.
Heidi: Live, love, laugh and have no regrets.
Jawan
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Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Venom
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed
Rating: 1.5/5
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
