Britain and America have traditionally moved in lockstep on Middle East policy but the current spiral of events has exposed gaps between the two sides.
On the surface it is business as usual. Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, has found friendlier words from British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt than from any other European counterpart.
Speaking alongside Mr Pompeo last week, Mr Hunt said that London appreciated Washington’s alarm over Iran's role in its neighbourhood. “We share the same perception of the Iranian threat level,” he said.
Less than a week later, Britain’s most senior general in the Iraq-based international coalition was served with an unprecedented rebuke from the US for stating there had been “no increased threat” from Iranian-backed militias to western interests.
In fact Whitehall officials have recognised that recent developments need careful handling. The Foreign Office has moved into a crisis footing in response to increasing tensions. A special operations centre has been set up to co-ordinate monitoring and responses to the situation. Sky News has reported that British missions in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar were on a heightened state of alert over the threat from Iran.
Mr Hunt has warned of the dangers of an accidental flare-up. “We are very worried about the risk of a conflict happening by accident with an escalation that is unintended,” Mr Hunt said. “I think what we need is a period of calm.”
While some parts of the US administration have been warning of unfolding dangers, British officials explained Mr Hunt’s precautionary thinking. “We need to be a bit careful not to talk both sides into an escalation and, as the foreign secretary has said, not get into a situation where one side is preparing for the other side to escalate until that in itself is an escalation,” said one source.
“You can do quite a lot of things that to you look defensive and quite careful but to the other side look not like a response but in fact like an adverse action.”
Veteran diplomats have said they cannot recall a time when there has been such divergence between London and Washington. Lord Dannatt, the former head of the British military, has said the signs of schism are “pretty unusual”.
Alistair Burt, who was until recently the specialist minster for the Middle East at the Foreign Office, explained on Thursday why London viewed the situation in the region as so precarious.
“The present ratcheting up of tension between Iran and the United States is entirely unhelpful and dangerous in the area,” he said. “It has knock-on effects in these conflicts when that increase in tension becomes part of the background to making an agreement – and anything that makes an agreement more difficult is something I would have great concern about.”
Britain remains, alongside other European countries, committed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed with Iran over its nuclear programme in 2015. Only abandonment by Tehran of its commitments under the deal would cause the Europeans to rethink.
There are other considerations for British officials as well. Discussing Iran’s use of proxies in conflicts in Syria and elsewhere earlier this week, Andrew Murrison, the new Middle East minister, warned MPs that outside powers needed “good relations” as far as possible with players like Iran in the hope that their “good counsel” would be used to curtail fighting.
Mr Burt added that Iran’s position in the region could not be wished away, including in Yemen where it is backing the Houthi militia.
“Iranian interests will have to be recognised,” he said. “They [Iran] will not want anyone to use Yemen for bases for any potential attack in relation to them. I’m not excusing Iranian behaviour in any way but understanding why Iran does some of the things it does is important.”
In reacting to the events in Washington British officials are also mindful of President Donald Trump’s reported scepticism of the policies driven by the hawks in his cabinet, Mr Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton.
With the US leader due to travel for a state visit to the UK in early June, there are already plenty of divisions between the two states on display, including over the Chinese telecoms firm Huawei and the Brexit negotiations.
No one wants Iran to rise to the top of the list but there are essential interests at stake. “I don’t think anyone wants to see a war with Iran,” the government official added.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Porsche Taycan Turbo specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 1050Nm
Range: 450km
Price: Dh601,800
On sale: now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs: 2018 Audi R8 V10 RWS
Price: base / as tested: From Dh632,225
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 540hp @ 8,250rpm
Torque: 540Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.4L / 100km
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PROFILE OF CURE.FIT
Started: July 2016
Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori
Based: Bangalore, India
Sector: Health & wellness
Size: 500 employees
Investment: $250 million
Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday Spezia v Lazio (6pm), Juventus v Torino (9pm), Inter Milan v Bologna (7.45pm)
Sunday Verona v Cagliari (3.30pm), Parma v Benevento, AS Roma v Sassuolo, Udinese v Atalanta (all 6pm), Crotone v Napoli (9pm), Sampdoria v AC Milan (11.45pm)
Monday Fiorentina v Genoa (11.45pm)
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
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TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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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Race card:
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh195,000 1,400m.
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m.
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 1,200m.
8.15pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,200m.
8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 1,600m.
9.20pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m.
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 2,000m.
How do Sim card scams work?
Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards by claiming to be the victim, often pretending their phone has been lost or stolen in order to secure a new Sim.
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
The specs: 2018 Jaguar F-Type Convertible
Price, base / as tested: Dh283,080 / Dh318,465
Engine: 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 295hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 1,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.2L / 100km
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The Internet
Hive Mind
four stars
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
Bombshell
Director: Jay Roach
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie
Four out of five stars
Brief scores:
Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first
Kerala Knights 103-7 (10 ov)
Parnell 59 not out; Tambe 5-15
Sindhis 104-1 (7.4 ov)
Watson 50 not out, Devcich 49
