US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin expressed alarm on Thursday over two Iranian ships that have entered the Atlantic and may be bound for Venezuela for a weapons delivery.
“I am absolutely concerned about the proliferation of weapons -any type of weapons – in our neighbourhood,” Mr Austin said during a Senate hearing.
Pressed by senators on the type of weapons the ships may be transporting, Mr Austin said he could not comment in a public setting, adding he had not had any discussions with any other nations in the western hemisphere - including Venezuela - on the issue.
Commercial satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies in April showed one of the ships carrying seven Iranian fast-attack boats similar to those used by the Iranian navy to harass US and other international vessels in the Arabian Gulf.
On Thursday, Iran state TV showed footage of the ships - the destroyer Sahand and the smaller vessel Makran – crossing into the Atlantic Ocean, a rarity for the Iranian Navy.
Richard Blumenthal, a Democratic senator from Connecticut, said the shipment “would fulfil a deal that Iran and Venezuela made a year ago” before President Joe Biden took office.
He stated that “allowing this ship to dock” causes Washington “grave concern".
The final destination and route of the ships remains unclear to US officials monitoring the situation.
Politico reported this week that the Biden team is privately urging Venezuela and Cuba to turn the ships away.
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Pentagon spokesman John Kirby last week said the US reserves the right to take "appropriate measures” if the vessels pose a threat.
“The delivery of such weapons would be a provocative act and a threat to our partners in this hemisphere," Mr Kirby said.
"As such, we would reserve the right to take appropriate measures, in concert with our partners, to deter the delivery or transit of such weapons.
“This is a situation that the current administration inherited. We are now working to forestall [it] through diplomacy and other means,” he said.
Michael Singh, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said that Iranian naval vessels crossing the Atlantic Ocean “is in itself not very concerning, much less threatening” but the transfer of weapons is.
"What's concerning is the possible transfer by Iran of fast-attack boats to Venezuela. Iran's naval forces have used these vessels to harass the US Navy and commercial shipping in the Gulf, and we would not want to see Tehran equip and train Caracas to replicate these tactics in the Caribbean," Mr Singh told The National.
Asked about US options, Mr Singh said that “certainly, the US can threaten Venezuela and Cuba with sanctions for allowing Iranian military ships to dock in their ports. The bolder option would be to interdict the shipment at sea, but that would depend on having the legal authority to do so".
Both Iran and Venezuela are subject to US sanctions and the delivery of fast-attack boats would be considered a breach of those measures.
If they are indeed headed for Venezuela, the ships are expected to dock there in about a month.
Last August, the US government seized four vessels carrying Iranian oil on their way to Venezuela,
The vessels were estimated to be carrying more than one million barrels of petroleum.
Relations between Iran and Venezuela have strengthened as they both continue to attempt to circumvent US sanctions.
Poacher
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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
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Tuesday (UAE kick-off times)
Leicester City v Brighton (9pm)
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (11.15pm)
Wednesday
Manchester United v Sheffield United (9pm)
Newcastle United v Aston Villa (9pm)
Norwich City v Everton (9pm)
Wolves v Bournemouth (9pm)
Liverpool v Crystal Palace (11.15pm)
Thursday
Burnley v Watford (9pm)
Southampton v Arsenal (9pm)
Chelsea v Manchester City (11.15pm)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
More on animal trafficking
MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Brighton, Sunday, 6pm UAE
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
Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat
Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press
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THE BIO
Age: 33
Favourite quote: “If you’re going through hell, keep going” Winston Churchill
Favourite breed of dog: All of them. I can’t possibly pick a favourite.
Favourite place in the UAE: The Stray Dogs Centre in Umm Al Quwain. It sounds predictable, but it honestly is my favourite place to spend time. Surrounded by hundreds of dogs that love you - what could possibly be better than that?
Favourite colour: All the colours that dogs come in
Result
Qualifier: Islamabad United beat Karachi Kings by eight wickets
Fixtures
Tuesday, Lahore: Eliminator 1 - Peshawar Zalmi v Quetta Gladiators
Wednesday, Lahore: Eliminator 2 – Karachi Kings v Winner of Eliminator 1
Sunday, Karachi: Final – Islamabad United v Winner of Eliminator 2
