US sanctions on a large Iranian shipping company and its subsidiary came into effect on Monday, as relations continued to simmer between Tehran and Washington.
The sanctions, announced by the US State Department in December last year, are on the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines and its Shanghai subsidiary, E-Sail Shipping Company.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday that the action against the companies was in line with an executive order against proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their supporters.
After a 180-day grace period to allow firms who worked with the two companies to find alternative shipping methods, the sanctions came into effect.
“IRISL has repeatedly transported items related to Iran’s ballistic missile and military programmes and is also a long-standing carrier of other proliferation-sensitive items, including Nuclear Suppliers-Group controlled items,” Mr Pompeo said.
“Despite Iran’s claims that it will never develop nuclear weapons and associated delivery systems, the Iranian regime has continued to pursue and procure proliferation-sensitive items in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231."
He urged the international community to “take notice of Iran’s continued deception”.
“These designations serve as a clear warning that anyone doing business with or otherwise supporting IRISL or E-Sail are exposed to potential sanctions and risk contributing to Iran’s proliferation-sensitive programmes, including its nuclear and missile programmes," Mr Pompeo said.
“We urge government authorities worldwide to investigate all IRISL and E-Sail activity in your ports and territorial seas and take appropriate action to put a halt to it.
"The world must be vigilant and take action to prevent Iran from acquiring proliferation-sensitive items that further threaten regional stability and security."
The sanctions on the company and its subsidiary were reintroduced and were in place before the 2015 nuclear deal signed between Iran and world powers.
US President Donald Trump pulled out of the deal in 2018. Germany, France, Britain, China and Russia remain committed to it.
Most parties to the deal have generally been supportive in maintaining it, but Iran has continued to increase its stockpile of enriched uranium to support its nuclear capabilities.
Increasing nuclear capabilities
UN watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency warned on Friday that Tehran continued to breach the deal.
The agency reported that Iran had also been continuing to enrich uranium to a purity of 4.5 per cent, higher than the 3.67 per cent allowed under the nuclear deal.
Alireza Jafarzadeh, deputy director of the Washington office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, said that the reports by the IAEA are "a clear indication that Tehran never abandoned its nuclear weapons programme", despite the nuclear deal.
Mr Jafarzadeh revealed the existence of the nuclear sites in Natanz and Arak in August 2002, which led to the IAEA inspections of Iranian nuclear sites.
"This regime should have never been allowed any enrichment capabilities, nor provided any ability to do nuclear-related research and development under any pretexts," he told The National.
“All pathways of the Iranian regime to fissile material must be irreversibly blocked and the ballistic missile programme, the purpose of which is to carry a nuclear warhead, must be entirely dismantled.
“The Iranian regime must be immediately referred to the UN Security Council for significant non-performance, triggering the snapback of all UN sanctions on the Iranian regime."
Relations have been fraught between Tehran and Washington in recent months, with attacks on ships in the Gulf and on US army bases in neighbouring Iraq.
Tehran has not claimed responsibility for most of the attacks but the US has blamed them on Iran-backed militias in Iraq.
Washington has in recent months imposed sanctions on different Iranian companies and those that deal with Iranian businesses.
On May 18, Washington blacklisted Shanghai Saint Logistics, a Chinese company, for providing services to Iranian airline Mahan Air, accusing it of "carrying gold from Venezuela’s vaults back to Iran”.
Story%20behind%20the%20UAE%20flag
%3Cp%3EThe%20UAE%20flag%20was%20first%20unveiled%20on%20December%202%2C%201971%2C%20the%20day%20the%20UAE%20was%20formed.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIt%20was%20designed%20by%20Abdullah%20Mohammed%20Al%20Maainah%2C%2019%2C%20an%20Emirati%20from%20Abu%20Dhabi.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EMr%20Al%20Maainah%20said%20in%20an%20interview%20with%20%3Cem%3EThe%20National%3C%2Fem%3E%20in%202011%20he%20chose%20the%20colours%20for%20local%20reasons.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThe%20black%20represents%20the%20oil%20riches%20that%20transformed%20the%20UAE%2C%20green%20stands%20for%20fertility%20and%20the%20red%20and%20white%20colours%20were%20drawn%20from%20those%20found%20in%20existing%20emirate%20flags.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying or online bullying could take many forms such as sending unkind or rude messages to someone, socially isolating people from groups, sharing embarrassing pictures of them, or spreading rumors about them.
Cyberbullying can take place on various platforms such as messages, on social media, on group chats, or games.
Parents should watch out for behavioural changes in their children.
When children are being bullied they they may be feel embarrassed and isolated, so parents should watch out for signs of signs of depression and anxiety
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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- 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
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
Section 375
Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra & Rahul Bhat
Director: Ajay Bahl
Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak & SCIPL
Rating: 3.5/5
Seven tips from Emirates NBD
1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet
3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details
4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure
5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies
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'Unrivaled: Why America Will Remain the World’s Sole Superpower'
Michael Beckley, Cornell Press
