US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and the nominee for his deputy, Wendy Sherman, stressed on Wednesday the need for Iran's compliance before returning to the 2015 nuclear deal.
“We have to ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon; that there be compliance for compliance, as the president said,” Ms Sherman told Congress.
Mr Blinken, speaking from the State Department, outlined eight objectives for the Biden administration's foreign policy.
They include a less militaristic approach, fighting the pandemic, advocating for democracy, addressing climate change and countering China.
On the Middle East, Mr Blinken repeated the administration’s willingness to return to the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, but when Tehran returned to compliance.
He said the US was committed to diplomacy but was not opposed to using force when necessary.
“Diplomacy, not military action, will always come first,” he said.
But the Biden administration “will never hesitate to use force when American lives and vital interests are at stake".
"That's why President Biden authorised an air strike last week against Iranian-backed militia groups targeting US forces in Iraq," he said, referring to the strike carried out on February 25.
“But in that case and in future cases when we must take military action, we will do so only when the objectives and mission are clear and achievable, consistent with our values and laws, and with the informed consent of the American people.
"And we’ll do it together with American diplomacy.”
Mr Blinken called China the "biggest geopolitical test of the 21st century" because of its ability to challenge the international system.
“China is the only country with the economic, diplomatic, military and technological power to seriously challenge the stable and open international system,” he said.
Most of the questions Ms Sherman fielded from senators in her confirmation hearing dealt with Iran, and the nuclear deal in particular.
“I remain clear-eyed about the threat that Iran poses to our interests and those of our allies,” Ms Sherman told the Senate foreign relations committee.
“I would note that 2021 is not 2015 when the deal was agreed, nor 2016 when it was implemented.
"The facts on the ground have changed, [the region has] changed and the way forward must similarly change.”
Ms Sherman was the lead negotiator for the Iran nuclear deal when she was undersecretary of state for political affairs under the Obama administration.
The Trump administration withdrew from the accord in 2018, placing stringent sanctions on Iran.
Iran has since increased its breaches of the accord and rebuffed a European-brokered attempt for direct talks with the US on Sunday.
“Iran is a long way from compliance, as we all know,” Ms Sherman said of possible US sanctions relief.
“The decisions that need to be taken will be along the lines of those laid out by the president of the United States and the secretary of state, and indeed have to be decided on the merits of where we are today, not nostalgia for where we might have been."
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
PROFILE BOX
Company name: Overwrite.ai
Founder: Ayman Alashkar
Started: Established in 2020
Based: Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai
Sector: PropTech
Initial investment: Self-funded by founder
Funding stage: Seed funding, in talks with angel investors
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The 12 breakaway clubs
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 640hp
Torque: 760nm
On sale: 2026
Price: Not announced yet
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mobile phone packages comparison
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The fake news generation
288,000 – the number of posts reported as hate speech that were deleted by Facebook globally each month in May and June this year
11% – the number of Americans who said they trusted the news they read on Snapchat as of June 2017, according to Statista. Over a quarter stated that they ‘rarely trusted’ the news they read on social media in general
31% - the number of young people in the US aged between 10 and 18 who said they had shared a news story online in the last six months that they later found out was wrong or inaccurate
63% - percentage of Arab nationals who said they get their news from social media every single day.
