Iran’s mission to the UN said on Friday that Israel poses a “grave and immediate threat” to regional and global peace, calling for urgent measures to prevent what it described as a potential “catastrophic” escalation during the US presidential transition.
“As the current rulers of the regime perceive their survival in the expansion of war and directly dragging the United States into it, they are attempting to exploit the current political climate in the United States to pave the way for the formulation of a new crisis,” the mission said in a statement shared on X.
It added that this would have “unprecedented political and strategic costs” for Washington.
Calling Israel an “illegitimate and usurping entity”, Iran claimed the nation is facing “widespread hatred” within the region and the broader international community.
It also suggested that removing or restraining Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could pave the way for de-escalation, including a ceasefire in Gaza as well as continued UN peacekeeping operations and the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 in Lebanon, and restored maritime security in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Tension has been high between Israel and Iran over the course of the Gaza war, with the situation occasionally deteriorating into direct attacks. Israel struck several sites in Iran in later October, weeks after Tehran launched a barrage of 200 ballistic missiles at its archrival.
The statement follows an op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal by Israel's UN envoy Danny Danon this week, in which he argued that Tehran could “try to sow chaos before [US president-elect Donald] Trump takes office”.
He urged the international community to enact a series of measures against Iran, including strict enforcement of current sanctions, reinstatement of UN sanctions in place before the 2015 nuclear deal, and the seizure of commercial vessels involved in the illicit transport of sanctioned Iranian oil.
The tense exchange comes as Mr Trump prepares to take the White House in January. Elon Musk, the tech billionaire closely allied with Mr Trump, met Iran's ambassador to the UN on Monday in a bid to defuse tension between Tehran and Washington, The New York Times reported on Thursday.
Iran's ambassador reportedly urged Mr Musk to seek US sanctions exemptions and conduct business in Tehran, the newspaper said, citing an Iranian Foreign Ministry official. The two met for more than an hour at a secret location, the newspaper said.
During his first term as president, Mr Trump dismantled the nuclear deal brokered by his predecessor Barack Obama and Iran, opting instead for a “maximum pressure” sanctions strategy.
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
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Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Frida%20
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Soldier F
“I was in complete disgust at the fact that only one person was to be charged for Bloody Sunday.
“Somebody later said to me, 'you just watch - they'll drop the charge against him'. And sure enough, the charges against Soldier F would go on to be dropped.
“It's pretty hard to think that 50 years on, the State is still covering up for what happened on Bloody Sunday.”
Jimmy Duddy, nephew of John Johnson
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Book%20Details
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'HIJRAH%3A%20IN%20THE%20FOOTSTEPS%20OF%20THE%20PROPHET'
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In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
- 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
- 150 tonnes to landfill
- 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
Can NRIs vote in the election?
Indians residing overseas cannot cast their ballot abroad
Non-resident Indians or NRIs can vote only by going to a polling booth in their home constituency
There are about 3.1 million NRIs living overseas
Indians have urged political parties to extend the right to vote to citizens residing overseas
A committee of the Election Commission of India approved of proxy voting for non-resident Indians
Proxy voting means that a person can authorise someone residing in the same polling booth area to cast a vote on his behalf.
This option is currently available for the armed forces, police and government officials posted outside India
A bill was passed in the lower house of India’s parliament or the Lok Sabha to extend proxy voting to non-resident Indians
However, this did not come before the upper house or Rajya Sabha and has lapsed
The issue of NRI voting draws a huge amount of interest in India and overseas
Over the past few months, Indians have received messages on mobile phones and on social media claiming that NRIs can cast their votes online
The Election Commission of India then clarified that NRIs could not vote online
The Election Commission lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police asking it to clamp down on the people spreading misinformation
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.”
'Lost in Space'
Creators: Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Irwin Allen
Stars: Molly Parker, Toby Stephens, Maxwell Jenkins
Rating: 4/5
