Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian at the Iranian embassy in Beirut on October 13. AFP
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian at the Iranian embassy in Beirut on October 13. AFP
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian at the Iranian embassy in Beirut on October 13. AFP
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian at the Iranian embassy in Beirut on October 13. AFP

Iran warns Israel of escalation if it fails to end aggression against Palestinians


Khaled Yacoub Oweis
  • English
  • Arabic

Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian met Qatar's Emir Tamim on Saturday as Tehran warned Israel of escalation if it failed to end "aggression" against Palestinians.

Qatar is one of best-connected Arab countries with Hamas, the Iranian-backed militant group that launched a surprise attack on Israeli targets eight days ago and took dozens of mostly non-combatants as hostages, including US nationals.

The attack has drawn massive Israeli retaliation, raising the spectre of a multipronged conflict involving other groups aligned with Iran in Lebanon and Syria.

Mr Amirabdollahian said other parties in the region were ready to act if Israel did not halt action against Palestinians, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Sunday.

"If the Zionist aggressions do not stop, the hands of all parties in the region are on the trigger," Hossein Amirabdollahian was quoted as saying.

The semi-official Iranian Mehr news reported the meeting between Sheikh Tamim and Mr Amirabdollahian.

It said that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi also called Sheikh Tamim on Saturday and discussed “the Palestinian cause and bilateral relations”.

At the same time, Iran’s mission to the UN said “far reaching consequences” could befall the Middle East if the war did not stop.

“If the Israeli apartheid’s war crimes and genocide are not halted immediately, the situation could spiral out of control,” the mission said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

It said this would have “far-reaching consequences – the responsibility of which lies with the UN, the Security Council and the states steering the council towards a dead end”.

The warning contrasts with the message delivered by US Secretary of Antony Blinken, who is on a Middle East tour, to Emir Tamim and other Arab leaders.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Mr Blinken has been talking with allies in the Middle East “to prevent the conflict from widening”.

Regional tour

Mr Amirabdollahian also met Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar. Mr Haniyeh is seen among the closest Hamas leaders to Iran, having attended the 2020 funeral of Qasem Soleimani, a top Iranian officer assassinated by the US.

Qatar was the fourth stop of a regional tour by Mr Amirabdollahian that took him to Baghdad, Beirut and Damascus, Arab capitals where Iranian influence had expanded significantly over the last decade.

In Beirut on Thursday, he met Hassan Nasrallah, head of Hezbollah, one of the most powerful guerrilla groups in the Middle East and a crucial ally of Iran.

On Friday, he met Syrian President Bashar Al Assad in Damascus, shortly after an Israeli strike on the Damascus and Aleppo airports stopped flights to and from the two facilities.

Syria is a crucial supply line from Iran to Hezbollah. Weapons convoys and bases and other facilities linked to Hezbollah and other militias supported by Tehran have been frequent targets for Israeli air strikes on Syria in recent years.

Syrian political commentator Ayman Abdelnour said the latest strikes on the airports were a message to the Iranian leadership that Israel is “not that busy with Gaza”.

“Israel was telling Iran that it is business as usual,” Mr Abdelnour said. “It will not allow Iran to take advantage of what is happening in Gaza.”

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Teaching your child to save

Pre-school (three - five years)

You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.

Early childhood (six - eight years)

Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.

Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)

Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.

Young teens (12 - 14 years)

Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.

Teenage (15 - 18 years)

Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.

Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)

Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.

* JP Morgan Private Bank 

The Gandhi Murder
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  • 34 - Nationalities featured in the film The Gandhi Murder
  • 7 - million dollars, the film's budget 
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Southampton v Burnley, 4.30pm
Arsenal v Manchester City, 7pm

RESULTS

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6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 2,000m
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7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
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7.30pm: Al Ain Mile Group 3 (PA) Dh350,000 1,600m
Winner: Somoud, Connor Beasley, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
8pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: Al Jazi, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel

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Date started: 2015

Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki

Based: Dubai

Sector: Online grocery delivery

Staff: 200

Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends

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Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
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Draw for Europa League last-16

Istanbul Basaksehir v Copenhagen; Olympiakos Piraeus v Wolverhampton Wanderers

Rangers v Bayer Leverkusen; VfL Wolfsburg v Shakhtar Donetsk; Inter Milan v Getafe

Sevilla v AS Roma; Eintracht Frankfurt or Salzburg v Basel; LASK v Manchester United

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

How to help

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200

OIL PLEDGE

At the start of Russia's invasion, IEA member countries held 1.5 billion barrels in public reserves and about 575 million barrels under obligations with industry, according to the agency's website. The two collective actions of the IEA this year of 62.7 million barrels, which was agreed on March 1, and this week's 120 million barrels amount to 9 per cent of total emergency reserves, it added.

MATCH INFO

Norwich 0

Watford 2 (Deulofeu 2', Gray 52')

Red card: Christian Kabasele (WatforD)

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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

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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Profile of Hala Insurance

Date Started: September 2018

Founders: Walid and Karim Dib

Based: Abu Dhabi

Employees: Nine

Amount raised: $1.2 million

Funders: Oman Technology Fund, AB Accelerator, 500 Startups, private backers

 

Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
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Top speed: 232kph 

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The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

While you're here
PAKISTAN SQUAD

Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali (test captain), Babar Azam (T20 captain), Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imran Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Kashif Bhatti, Shadab Khan and Yasir Shah. 

At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

Updated: October 16, 2023, 12:34 PM`