The delivery of the first batch of European aid to Iran this week does not only represent a lifeline to the regime in Tehran as it attempts to tackle the deadly impact of the coronavirus pandemic. It also presents Iran with the opportunity to begin the painful process of rebuilding relations with the outside world.
Long before the coronavirus outbreak, the ayatollahs appeared to have adopted a bunker mentality, as far as their engagement with the outside world was concerned. This was prompted, in part, by their resentment at the Trump administration’s unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal.
Although 16 countries, including the UAE, have claimed to trace their own outbreaks to Iran, Tehran has failed to grasp the significance of the situation
In addition, the determination of the hardline supporters of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to persist with expanding Iran’s malign influence throughout the Middle East in countries like Iraq and Syria meant there was little appetite for engaging in a constructive relationship with the West and its allies in the region.
Thus, when the first reports that the coronavirus had spread to Iran began to surface in early February, Iran’s international isolation meant that it was at a distinct disadvantage in dealing with the outbreak.
This may well have contributed to Tehran’s disastrous handling of the pandemic, which has affected Iran more than any other country in the Middle East. In the last few days, Iran's death toll has officially passed 3,000, with more than 47,000 confirmed cases. But these figures have been contested, with opposition groups claiming they should be much higher; some claim as many as 4,762 people had already died by the end of March.
What is not in dispute is that the regime’s initial refusal to acknowledge the scale of the problem has meant that it has been unable to implement the comprehensive measures adopted by many other countries. Consequently, the virus has spread to all of Iran’s 31 provinces.
Moreover, although many countries, including Lebanon and Bahrain, have claimed to trace their own outbreaks to Iran, Tehran has persistently failed to grasp the significance of the situation, playing it down rather than mounting an effective response. In February Ayatollah Khamenei accused the country's enemies of deliberately exaggerating the threat, a sentiment echoed by the country’s president, Hassan Rouhani, who warned against the “conspiracies and fear-mongering of our enemies”. Iran’s state TV has even claimed the coronavirus could be a US-manufactured "bioweapon".
All of this has severely diminishing Tehran's international standing, which was already low enough in the wake of it having mistakenly shot down of a Ukrainian passenger jet in early January, costing 176 passengers and crew members. But Iran’s rulers have only themselves to blame for the country’s dire predicament.
In this context, the successful delivery to Iran earlier this week of a shipment of medical supplies from Britain, France and Germany could prove to be a game-changer in terms of Tehran’s relations with the outside world – assuming, that is, that the regime is able to make the most of the opportunity. Iran's regional neighbours, including the UAE, have also delivered their own aid packages to Tehran.
The three European countries involved in the most recent transaction, the so-called E3, have been looking for ways to maintain trade ties with Iran, as they are all signatories to a 2015 nuclear deal that has since been scuttled by the US's decision to withdraw from it and impose wide-ranging sanctions on the Iranians instead.
Initially, the EU wanted to establish a trade mechanism, known as the Special Purpose Vehicle, that would allow European businesses to continue trading with Iran without damaging their commercial relationship with the US.
The EU, faced with strong opposition from Washington over its proposal, eventually had to scale down its ambitions to the extent that it has now set up a new arrangement, the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges, or Instex, that allows European nations to conduct limited trade with Iran that is confined to basic humanitarian supplies, such as medicines and food.
The Trump administration, stung by criticism that its hardline approach was having a negative impact on Tehran’s ability to tackle the pandemic, has given Instex its begrudging approval, with the result that the E3 have offered Iran a €5 million relief package. This week’s delivery of medicines, estimated to be worth $548,000, is the first transaction to be completed under the new Instex arrangements.
It is modest compared to the billions of dollars in trade that existed between Iran and Europe prior to Washington’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal, and further transactions are unlikely to increase much beyond that level because many European firms still fear legal repercussions in the US from doing business with Tehran.
Nevertheless, they do represent an opportunity for Tehran to begin repairing its relations with the West, a process that can only begin in earnest if tensions between the supporters of Ayatollah Khamenei and the more pragmatic supporters of Mr Rouhani can be set aside.
To date, the former have flatly rejected outside offers of help, with Major General Hossein Salami, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, denouncing an offer from the Trump administration to help combat the pandemic as “deception and lies.”
This kind of attitude is hardly going to help Iran in its desperate hour of need. The hardliners must understand that the threat posed by the coronavirus, combined with the economic hardship the country is suffering as a result of sanctions, poses an existential threat to the regime, which will only survive by engaging with the outside world, rather than constantly railing against it.
Con Coughlin is the Telegraph’s defence and foreign affairs editor
Third Test
Day 3, stumps
India 443-7 (d) & 54-5 (27 ov)
Australia 151
India lead by 346 runs with 5 wickets remaining
Tori Amos
Native Invader
Decca
WORLD CUP SEMI-FINALS
England v New Zealand (Saturday, 12pm)
Wales v South Africa (Sunday, 1pm)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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WHAT%20IS%20THE%20LICENSING%20PROCESS%20FOR%20VARA%3F
%3Cp%3EVara%20will%20cater%20to%20three%20categories%20of%20companies%20in%20Dubai%20(except%20the%20DIFC)%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECategory%20A%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Minimum%20viable%20product%20(MVP)%20applicants%20that%20are%20currently%20in%20the%20process%20of%20securing%20an%20MVP%20licence%3A%20This%20is%20a%20three-stage%20process%20starting%20with%20%5B1%5D%20a%20provisional%20permit%2C%20graduating%20to%20%5B2%5D%20preparatory%20licence%20and%20concluding%20with%20%5B3%5D%20operational%20licence.%20Applicants%20that%20are%20already%20in%20the%20MVP%20process%20will%20be%20advised%20by%20Vara%20to%20either%20continue%20within%20the%20MVP%20framework%20or%20be%20transitioned%20to%20the%20full%20market%20product%20licensing%20process.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECategory%20B%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Existing%20legacy%20virtual%20asset%20service%20providers%20prior%20to%20February%207%2C%202023%2C%20which%20are%20required%20to%20come%20under%20Vara%20supervision.%20All%20operating%20service%20proviers%20in%20Dubai%20(excluding%20the%20DIFC)%20fall%20under%20Vara%E2%80%99s%20supervision.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECategory%20C%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20New%20applicants%20seeking%20a%20Vara%20licence%20or%20existing%20applicants%20adding%20new%20activities.%20All%20applicants%20that%20do%20not%20fall%20under%20Category%20A%20or%20B%20can%20begin%20the%20application%20process%20through%20their%20current%20or%20prospective%20commercial%20licensor%20%E2%80%94%20the%20DET%20or%20Free%20Zone%20Authority%20%E2%80%94%20or%20directly%20through%20Vara%20in%20the%20instance%20that%20they%20have%20yet%20to%20determine%20the%20commercial%20operating%20zone%20in%20Dubai.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
'Gold'
Director:Anthony Hayes
Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes
Rating:3/5
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
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
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Read more about the coronavirus
