The White House on Thursday said it would impose additional sanctions on Iran and warned of a “swift and severe” global response if Tehran provides Russia with ballistic missiles to use in the war in Ukraine.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Iran has been sending “significant numbers” of drones, guided aerial bombs and artillery ammunition to Russia, and the US is closely monitoring whether Iran has transferred any close-range ballistic missiles”.
“We have not seen any confirmation that missiles have actually moved from Iran to Russia,” Mr Kirby said, adding that the US has “no reason to believe that [Iran] will not follow through.
“If Iran proceeds with this provision of ballistic missiles, I can assure you that the response in the international community will be swift and it will be severe.”
He said the US would also take the matter to the UN Security Council and co-ordinate further response options with partners in Europe and elsewhere.
The comments come as the US has for months been warning that Russia is negotiating to acquire close-range ballistic missiles from Iran in exchange for enhanced military co-operation with Iran.
Mr Kirby said the alliance between Tehran and Moscow would increase the threat posed by Iran-backed militias to US troops and their allies in the Middle East.
President Joe Biden said earlier this week that the US would announce new sanctions against Russia on Friday, in response to the death Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader who died in a state prison.
Mr Biden blamed Russia's president Vladimir Putin “and his thugs” for Mr Navalny's death.
Also on Thursday, the Justice Department announced a sweeping set of criminal and civil enforcement actions against sanctioned Russian oligarchs and others accused of working to support Russia and its military.
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Directed: Smeep Kang
Produced: Soham Rockstar Entertainment; SKE Production
Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Jimmy Sheirgill, Sunny Singh, Omkar Kapoor, Rajesh Sharma
Rating: Two out of five stars
Mountain Classification Tour de France after Stage 8 on Saturday:
- 1. Lilian Calmejane (France / Direct Energie) 11
- 2. Fabio Aru (Italy / Astana) 10
- 3. Daniel Martin (Ireland / Quick-Step) 8
- 4. Robert Gesink (Netherlands / LottoNL) 8
- 5. Warren Barguil (France / Sunweb) 7
- 6. Chris Froome (Britain / Team Sky) 6
- 7. Guillaume Martin (France / Wanty) 6
- 8. Jan Bakelants (Belgium / AG2R) 5
- 9. Serge Pauwels (Belgium / Dimension Data) 5
- 10. Richie Porte (Australia / BMC Racing) 4
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MATCH INFO
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
US households add $601bn of debt in 2019
American households borrowed another $601 billion (Dh2.2bn) in 2019, the largest yearly gain since 2007, just before the global financial crisis, according to February data from the New York Federal Reserve Bank.
Fuelled by rising mortgage debt as homebuyers continued to take advantage of low interest rates, the increase last year brought total household debt to a record high, surpassing the previous peak reached in 2008 just before the market crash, according to the report.
Following the 22nd straight quarter of growth, American household debt swelled to $14.15 trillion by the end of 2019, the New York Fed said in its quarterly report.
In the final three months of the year, new home loans jumped to their highest volume since the fourth quarter of 2005, while credit cards and auto loans also added to the increase.
The bad debt load is taking its toll on some households, and the New York Fed warned that more and more credit card borrowers — particularly young people — were falling behind on their payments.
"Younger borrowers, who are disproportionately likely to have credit cards and student loans as their primary form of debt, struggle more than others with on-time repayment," New York Fed researchers said.
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
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