The Middle East has a real opportunity for peace if it increases pressure on the “head of the beast” in Iran, according to a US Treasury official overseeing sanctions.
John Hurley, the undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said Iran was at the centre of instability in the region, describing it as a “beast with many arms”.
“The head of the beast is in Tehran,” Mr Hurley said, and its arms were its regional proxies, “who've also been contributing to instability and to terror”.
The undersecretary was in the UAE on Tuesday as part of his first official visit to the Middle East. His itinerary also includes Israel, Turkey and Lebanon.
The aim of his trip is to build on the momentum of US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan and work with Middle East countries to exert more pressure on Iran and cut off funding for its proxies, he explained.
“It's an important moment to be here,” Mr Hurley told The National. “There's a real moment right now under the leadership of President Trump for peace and prosperity if we focus on the core of the problem in the region. Our view is that Iran is the centre of the problem,” he said.
Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi on Saturday described Israel, rather than Iran, as the principal source of regional instability, and encouraged fellow Gulf countries to engage with Tehran rather than isolate it.
The US official, however, called for compliance with UN sanctions to “continue to put pressure on the regime to denuclearise and head towards a more peaceful future”.
Snapback sanctions
Sweeping UN sanctions were reimposed on Iran in September over what western powers say is its failure to adhere to a 2015 treaty regulating the country's nuclear energy programme.
Britain, France and Germany launched the process at the UN to reinstate the sanctions, saying Tehran was in breach of its commitments. Iran has repeatedly said it has no plans to build nuclear weapons.
“There's many countries that don't necessarily recognise US unilateral sanctions, but they do recognise UN sanctions,” said Mr Hurley. “And so I think with snapback, we have an opportunity to all work together to crank up the pressure significantly,” he told The National.
While Mr Trump introduced his 'maximum pressure' policy against Iran during his first term, he has been “more serious” about the drive since returning to office, the undersecretary said.
In his first term, Mr Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 deal, which placed strict limits on Iran's uranium enrichment activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
After his return to office, Mr Trump's team held several rounds of nuclear talks with Tehran, hosted by Oman. But just three days before a sixth round of talks, Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran in June, attacking nuclear and military sites – as well as residential areas.
The US intervened in the 12-day war on June 22 by attacking three of Iran's nuclear sites. Mr Trump has said the strikes obliterated Iran's nuclear programme, but the true extent of the damage remains unclear.
“When you're dealing with folks who behave very aggressively, whether it's folks like the leadership in Tehran or the leadership in Moscow, the President's strategy is you keep on maximum pressure until you see a behaviour change,” Mr Hurley said.
The common pressure point for both Iran and Russia is oil, he added.
The oil metric
The US sanctions policy on Iran has had an impact on the country's oil prices and exports, but more needs to be done, Mr Hurley said. “The key metric we follow is how much oil they are able to export and what price they sell it for. And we've seen those volumes come down,” he said.
Last week, discounts on Iranian oil offered to China reached their steepest in more than a year, Reuters reported. Offers for Iranian Light crude slipped to discounts wider than $8 a barrel, compared with a discount of about $6 in September and about $3 in March.
Imports of Iranian oil, which account for about 14 per cent of China's crude imports, fell to 1.2 million barrels per day in September, the lowest since May.
“You can definitely attribute the difficulty they're having to the results of sanctions, and it's very costly,” said Mr Hurley. “We can see that we're having an impact, but we need to do more,” he continued.
Iran's proxies
Another priority for the Trump administration is to cut off funding for Iran's proxies, including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and other groups in Iraq, Mr Hurley said.
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect last month after two years of war as part of Mr Trump's peace plan for Gaza. The proposal also stipulates that Hamas must disarm and play no future role in governing the enclave.
Both sides have accused each other of breaching the US-brokered truce. Israeli attacks have killed at least 238 Palestinians since the ceasefire came into effect on October 10, nearly half of them on a single day, according to official Palestinian media.
Hezbollah in Lebanon is also under pressure to disarm as part of its ceasefire agreement with Israel that came into effect in November last year.
The ceasefire in Lebanon has largely been described as “one-sided”, with Israel breaching the agreement with near-daily strikes. Israel has breached the ceasefire thousands of times, according to data from the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon. The UN has said that Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed more than 100 civilians in 10 months.
The undersecretary's trip to Israel on Monday focused on how to maintain maximum pressure on Iran and “persuade it to take on a much more peaceful posture for the rest of the region”, said Mr Hurley.
His trip to Lebanon will focus on the steps needed to be taken by financial regulators to disrupt illicit financial flows and the regulations and reforms needed to be enforced in the country.
Mr Hurley said he would love to see both Iraq and Lebanon “get more serious about pushing out foreign influence”.
The US has stressed the urgent need to disarm Iran-backed militias in Iraq, saying they are putting the country's sovereignty, regional stability and American interests at risk.
Small%20Things%20Like%20These
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Tim%20Mielants%3Cbr%3ECast%3A%20Cillian%20Murphy%2C%20Emily%20Watson%2C%20Eileen%20Walsh%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20JustClean%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%20with%20offices%20in%20other%20GCC%20countries%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202016%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20160%2B%20with%2021%20nationalities%20in%20eight%20cities%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20online%20laundry%20and%20cleaning%20services%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2430m%20from%20Kuwait-based%20Faith%20Capital%20Holding%20and%20Gulf%20Investment%20Corporation%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Voy!%20Voy!%20Voy!
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Omar%20Hilal%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Muhammad%20Farrag%2C%20Bayoumi%20Fouad%2C%20Nelly%20Karim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
About Tenderd
Started: May 2018
Founder: Arjun Mohan
Based: Dubai
Size: 23 employees
Funding: Raised $5.8m in a seed fund round in December 2018. Backers include Y Combinator, Beco Capital, Venturesouq, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Paul Buchheit, Justin Mateen, Matt Mickiewicz, SOMA, Dynamo and Global Founders Capital
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
Brighton 1
Gross (50' pen)
Tottenham 1
Kane (48)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm
Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh317,671
On sale: now
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Did you know?
Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
Recipe
Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo
Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
▶ Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.
▶ Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.
▶ Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking, remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.
▶ Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
