Two days after his speech laying out the United States plan to counter Iranian behaviour, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Congress that “unprecedented financial pressure” is on the way against Iran, which he warned has increased its military capabilities in Syria.
Mr Pompeo told the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday that a four layer strategy based on unprecedented financial pressure, deterrence efforts co-ordinated by the US Defence Department, support for the Iranian people and holding out the prospect of a new deal with Iran, will now define US policy.
“We seek to work with as many partners, friends, allies as possible to achieve the common objective of stopping all of Iran’s nuclear and non-nuclear threats,” he said.
He also rejected criticism that his strategy amounted to a fantasy, described by Congressman David Cicilline as “a Santa Claus wish list”. Mr Pompeo said the goal is for Iran to behave as “a normal country.”
The chief US diplomat raised the alarm over Iran's expanded power in Syria, and the threat its presence poses to Israel. “I am familiar with Iranian efforts in Syria, their forces and presence have expanded in the last 24 months” he said. This expansion, he said, included shipping more advanced weapons to the war-torn country, and thus increasing its capacity to threaten Israel.
Mr Pompeo said the complexity of the Syrian war made it “difficult to respond to Iran”. But “we are aware of the threat,” he said, adding that the US had discussed it with European and regional partners.
Asked about security aid to Lebanon following recent elections in which Hezbollah made slight gains, Mr Pompeo said that “Hezbollah is not only a problem in Lebanon but also in Syria, and we are trying to reduce its capacity”. However, addressing the results of the election and scope of US aid to Lebanon, Mr Pompeo said that “our assessment is that the overall balance of power [in Lebanon] won’t be changed.”
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Read more:
Iran developing new missile capabilities, US researchers say
US sanctions five Iranians over ballistic missile deliveries to Yemen’s Houthis
Pompeo’s hardline stance walks a fine line between a new deal and all-out war with Tehran
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That wasn't necessarily a good thing, he said, “because the existing balance was not good”.
He did not anticipate major changes to aid to Lebanon, but stressed that the Trump team will review the matter to “make sure we are doing this right”.
North Korea took up a big share of the hearing as well. The historic meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is still scheduled for June 12, Mr Pompeo said.
Mr Pompeo will lead the US team rather than national security adviser John Bolton, the diplomat said, adding that he would maintain a tough stance against the north. "We have made zero concessions to Chairman Kim [Jong-un] and we have no intention to do so,” he said. “Our posture will not change until we see credible steps taken towards the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.”
Mr Pompeo did not answer questions on whether the administration plans to shut down the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) office in Washington or oppose the sale of F-35 jets to Turkey.
Ankara was criticised heavily at the hearing by members of both parties for recent actions against Greece, Cyprus and vis a vis the Kurdish minority. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “is becoming our enemy”.
Mr Pompeo said he had raised the issue of human rights before with Saudi officials but not the recent arrests of women's rights activists.
He also criticised the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen for firing ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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
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
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
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
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Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
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