The European Union has agreed on new sanctions against Iran over its supply of drones to Russia for use in Ukraine a few days after announcing a package of punitive measures against Tehran for human rights offences.
“After three days of talks, EU ambassadors agreed on measures against entities supplying Iranian drones that hit Ukraine,” the Czech presidency of the EU said in a tweet on Thursday.
“EU states decided to freeze the assets of three individuals and one entity responsible for drone deliveries [and are] also prepared to extend sanctions to four more Iranian entities that already featured in a previous sanctions list.”
The three people named in the sanctions ― Maj Gen Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, Gen Sayed Hojatollah Qureishi, and Brig Gen Saeed Aghajani ― are part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Ministry of Defence and the armed forces.
They are all involved in supervising the country's drone development programme or supplying drones to Russia.
Shahed Aviation Industries, an IRGC-linked company that manufactures the Shahed-136 drones that Russia has allegedly used in Ukraine, was also sanctioned.
The UK also announced matching sanctions alongside the EU action against Iranian suppliers.
A UK Foreign Office statement said sanctions had been imposed on Iranian individuals and businesses responsible for supplying Russia with kamikaze drones used to bombard Ukraine.
“By supplying these drones, Iran is actively warmongering, profiting off Russia’s abhorrent attacks on Ukrainian citizens and adding to the suffering of the people and the destruction of critical infrastructure,” the statement said. “Both Russia and Iran are violating a UN Security Council resolution that controls the transfer of these weapons from Iran.”
Reports of a transfer of Iranian drones to Russia surfaced in August and Ukraine has published pictures in the past weeks of the wreckage of Shahed-136 unmanned aerial vehicles, known as kamikaze drones because they explode on impact.
Russia is reportedly using the drones to attack both civilian targets and critical infrastructure in Kyiv and across Ukraine, with the intention of cutting off the Ukrainian people from energy, heat and water.
Ukrainian authorities claim to have shot down more than 220 Iranian-made drones in little more than a month and have linked the weapons to civilian deaths.
In an interview with The National, a senior US State Department official on Thursday described their use as “truly unacceptable”.
A senior EU official told reporters on Wednesday that the EU had gathered sufficient evidence of Russia's use of Iranian drones.
The EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, on Thursday said in a tweet that “the EU condemns the delivery of Iranian drones to Russia and their deadly deployment in the war of aggression against #Ukraine”.
There have been further reports in the media of Iran sending drone trainers to Russian-occupied Crimea.
Iran has denied any involvement in the transfer of the drones.
'Blood money'
But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday said he did not trust Iran's rejection of such accusations. He described the alleged transfer of drones to Russia as “blood money”.
“They publicly denied all that, saying that 'we didn't sell anything', but here we see. Hundreds of strikes on Ukraine, on the capital, on civil infrastructure, on schools, nearby the university, at the university,” he told Canada's CTV Television Network.
Russia has reportedly recently switched to using relatively cheap Iranian-made drones after failing to take control of the Ukrainian skies. Ukraine has managed to destroy at least 60 Russian military aircraft since the start of the war.
The prices of Shahed-136 drones can range between €20,000 and €50,000 ($19,604 and $49,011), which is considerably cheaper than some of the more sophisticated weapons from Russia's own arsenals.
Modern cruise missiles and hypersonic ballistic missiles cost millions of euros, said Rafael Loss, co-ordinator of pan-European data projects at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
“This particular kind of Iranian drone can hit stationary targets like residential buildings or power plants, but moving targets like manoeuvring forces are more difficult to strike with them,” Mr Loss told The National.
“For close air support, you still need piloted aircraft, by and large.”
Iran's Shahed drones fly slowly enough to be shot out of the sky with a well-aimed rifle, but because of their low cost, they can be sent in swarms, making it difficult to prevent one or two from getting through and striking residential buildings or damaging scattered targets such as electricity substations.
Iran is also reportedly planning to send surface-to-surface missiles to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine.
Tehran's supply of drones to Russia contravenes UN Security Council Resolution 2231, a US State Department spokesman said on Wednesday.
On Monday, the EU imposed sanctions on 11 Iranians and four Iranian entities, including the country's morality police and its law enforcement forces, after weeks of brutal repression of protests that have swept the country following the death of a young woman detained for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly.
Human rights groups have reported that at least 200 protesters have been killed.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
Read more about the coronavirus
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- 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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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More on animal trafficking
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Teaching in coronavirus times
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Factfile on Garbine Muguruza:
Name: Garbine Muguruza (ESP)
World ranking: 15 (will rise to 5 on Monday)
Date of birth: October 8, 1993
Place of birth: Caracas, Venezuela
Place of residence: Geneva, Switzerland
Height: 6ft (1.82m)
Career singles titles: 4
Grand Slam titles: 2 (French Open 2016, Wimbledon 2017)
Career prize money: $13,928,719
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
BMW M8 Competition Coupe
Engine 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
Power 625hp at 6,000rpm
Torque 750Nm from 1,800-5,800rpm
Gearbox Eight-speed paddleshift auto
Acceleration 0-100kph in 3.2 sec
Top speed 305kph
Fuel economy, combined 10.6L / 100km
Price from Dh700,000 (estimate)
On sale Jan/Feb 2020
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
