US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday pledged a “collective response” to the attack on the MV Mercer Street that he said was carried out by the Iranian government.
Mr Blinken, speaking at the State Department, announced that the US is co-ordinating with countries affiliated with the ship to determine a response.
“We are in very close contact, in co-ordination with the United Kingdom, Israel, Romania and other countries,” he said. “There will be a collective response.”
He reiterated US confidence that Iran was behind the attack in the Arabian Sea last week and called Tehran's behaviour “tremendously irresponsible".
“We have seen a series of actions taken by Iran over many months, including against shipping, so I am not sure this particular action is anything new,” he said.
“What it does say is that Iran continues to act with tremendous irresponsibility when it comes to, in this instance, threats to navigation, to commerce, to innocent sailors who are simply engaged in commercial transit in international waters.”
The company that owns the Mercer belongs to Israeli tycoon Eyal Ofer.
Tehran has denied involvement in the attack in which two crew members — a Briton and a Romanian − were killed.
The US administration and its allies could be considering a range of options as they determine the appropriate response, experts said.
These could include “sanctions by the US and EU against Iran's drone industry, but specifically the foreign procurement networks and domestic production sectors that are already servicing Iran's sanctioned defence-industrial complex,” said Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies.
With the inauguration of Iran’s new hard-line president, Ebrahim Raisi, planned for Thursday, Mr Taleblu said “any European power sending a delegation to Tehran … should reconsider".
But when it comes to military options, the expert told The National that Israel — not the US — is likely to take the lead.
“To prevent or reduce the likelihood of further attacks, deterrence by punishment can include kinetic retaliation. Israel may already be inclined to take the lead on this given the ongoing Israeli-Iranian shadow war,” he said.
Mr Taleblu saw the attack and threats to maritime navigation in the Gulf as further impetus for the US “to support the development of an integrated air and missile defence system in the Middle East".
Ryan Bohl of the intelligence firm Stratfor mentioned cyber attacks as another option for the US response.
The expert said Mr Blinken’s comments suggested the possibility of “a cyber or covert response as well as yet more sanctions".
He noted, however, that the Biden administration’s priority remains preventing an escalation spiral between the US and Iran, and simply putting the incident behind them.
At the White House, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met his Israeli counterpart Eyal Hulata.
“Mr Sullivan and Dr Hulata discussed the strategic challenges in the region, including the threat posed by Iran, and agreed to consult closely on these issues,” the White House said.
Discussions also included “advancing the normalisation of relations between Israel and countries in the Arab and Muslim world and recent positive developments in Israel’s relationship with Jordan” as well as “pursuing positive steps related to the Palestinians, which are critical to peace, security and prosperity,” the statement said.
The visit was made in part to plan Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's first trip to the US and his meeting with US President Joe Biden.
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
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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Rating: 4/5
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE results
Lost to Oman by eight runs
Beat Namibia by three wickets
Lost to Oman by 12 runs
Beat Namibia by 43 runs
UAE fixtures
Free admission. All fixtures broadcast live on icc.tv
Tuesday March 15, v PNG at Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Friday March 18, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
Saturday March 19, v PNG at Dubai International Stadium
Monday March 21, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
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
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Abandon
Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay
Translated by Arunava Sinha
Tilted Axis Press
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Indoor Cricket World Cup Dubai 2017
Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free
Day 1 fixtures (Saturday)
Men 1.45pm, Malaysia v Australia (Court 1); Singapore v India (Court 2); UAE v New Zealand (Court 3); South Africa v Sri Lanka (Court 4)
Women Noon, New Zealand v South Africa (Court 3); England v UAE (Court 4); 5.15pm, Australia v UAE (Court 3); England v New Zealand (Court 4)
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
