DUBAI: The United States will respond with military force if its interests are attacked by Iran, the US Iran envoy said on Thursday as Arab leaders gathered in Saudi Arabia to discuss what they see as the threat from Tehran amid rising tensions.
But US Special Representative for Iran, Brian Hook, said US actions taken so far in the Gulf region, which include repositioning military assets, have had the “desired deterrent effect on the (Iranian) regime’s risk calculations.”
The US military has sent forces, including an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers, to the Middle East in a move that US officials said was made to counter “clear indications” of threats from Iran to American forces in the region.
Hook was speaking to reporters by phone ahead of emergency summits of Arab leaders in the Saudi city of Makkah due on Thursday to discuss drone strikes on oil installations in Saudi Arabia and attacks on four vessels, including two Saudi oil tankers, off the UAE coast earlier this month.
Hook said the US was waiting for results of the investigation into the tanker attacks off the UAE coast before discussing a proper response
Tehran has denied involvement in either attack.
The US is pursuing what it calls a “maximum pressure campaign” of sanctions against Iran to reduce its revenue streams from oil and other economic activities, in an attempt to curb what it sees as Tehran’s disruptive policies in the region.
Responding to a question about China and India importing Iranian oil and whether it was possible for them to keep importing small amounts, Hook said there would be no more exceptions granted to sanctions against Iran oil imports.
“There will be no more oil waivers granted,” he said, adding that any oil imported by any country beyond waiver limits that ran from November last year to May, would be subject to sanctions.
Trump also said that Iran’s economy is suffering from US sanctions and that the country is becoming a “weakened nation.”
As tensions between Washington and Tehran escalate, Trump claims Iran wants to make a deal.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says, however, that negotiating with the US would bring nothing but harm.
He said Wednesday that his country will not negotiate on issues related to its military capabilities. He insists that Iran isn’t looking to acquire nuclear weapons — not because of sanctions or the United States, but because they are forbidden under Islamic Sharia law.
At the White House on Thursday, Trump told reporters: “If they want to talk, I’m available.”
Meanwhile, White House National Security Adviser John Bolton said on Thursday that the threat from Iran is not over but quick action from the United States has helped deter it.
“I don’t think this threat is over, but I do think you can make at least a conditional claim that the quick response and the deployment and other steps that we took did serve as a deterrent,” Bolton told reporters during a visit to London.
Asked whether he was at odds with President Donald Trump, who said earlier this week that the US was not looking for regime change in Iran, he said: “The policy we’re pursuing is not a policy of regime change. That’s the fact and everybody should understand it that way.”
Bolton said there was some prospect that evidence Iran was behind attacks this month on oil tankers in the Gulf would be presented to the United Nations Security Council next week.
“I don’t think anybody who is familiar with the situation in the region, whether they have examined the evidence or not, has come to any conclusion other than that these attacks were carried out by Iran or their surrogates,” he said.
US will respond with military force if its interests are attacked by Iran: Brian Hook
US will respond with military force if its interests are attacked by Iran: Brian Hook
- Hook says US waiting for results of investigation into tanker attacks off UAE coast before discussing proper response
- The Iran envoy said the US repositioning of military assets has had desired deterrent effect on Iranian regime
Iraq ministry says two border guards killed by PKK fire
- “They were fired at by terrorists from the banned PKK organization” in Zakho district, the interior ministry said
- The two guards were killed and a third wounded
IRBIL, Iraq: A shooting which officials blamed on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) killed two Iraqi border guards on Friday near the Turkish boundary in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, Iraq’s interior ministry said.
The PKK, which has fought a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state, has several positions in Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region, which also hosts Turkish military bases used to strike Kurdish insurgents.
“When the Iraqi border forces were carrying out their duties securing the Iraqi-Turkish border... they were fired at by terrorists from the banned PKK organization” in Zakho district, the interior ministry said in a statement.
The two guards were killed and a third wounded, it added.
A border guard official told AFP that the guards were patrolling a village near the Turkish border when the “shooting and clashes” with the PKK took place.
Baghdad deploys federal guards along its border with Turkiye in coordination with the government of the Kurdistan region and its forces, the peshmerga.
The Iraqi federal authorities in Baghdad have recently sharpened their tone against the PKK. Last year, Baghdad quietly listed the group as a “banned organization” — though Ankara demands that the Iraqi government do more in the fight against the militant group.
Ankara along with the United States deems the PKK a “terrorist” organization.
Türkiye has conducted hundreds of strikes against PKK fighters in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.
Princess Iman of Jordan is expecting her first child
DUBAI: Jordan’s Princess Iman bint Abdullah II and her husband, Jameel Alexander Thermiotis, are expecting their first child.
Queen Rania, the princess’s mother, shared the news on Instagram with a photo of the couple at sunset by the beach, highlighting the mother-to-be’s baby bump. “Two is a couple, three is a blessing,” the Queen captioned the image.
This will be the second grandchild for Queen Rania and King Abdullah II. Their first grandchild, born in August, is the daughter of Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah and Princess Rajwa Al-Hussein. She was named Iman in honor of her aunt.
Pakistani journalism body criticizes new law regulating social media
- The new regulations will set up a social media regulatory authority that will have its own investigation agency and tribunals
- These tribunals will be able to try and punish offenders with prison sentences of up to three years and fines of Rs2 million
ISLAMABAD: A new law in Pakistan aimed at regulating social media content has angered journalism groups and rights activists, which say it is aimed at curbing press freedom and called on Friday for nationwide protests next week.
Parliament introduced and passed the amendments to the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act on Thursday.
The new regulations will set up a social media regulatory authority that will have its own investigation agency and tribunals, according to a draft on the parliament’s website. Such tribunals will be able to try and punish offenders with prison sentences of up to three years and fines of two million rupees ($7,200) for dissemination of “false or fake” information.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar told parliament on Thursday the law was introduced to block fake and false news on social media, which he said had no specific regulations to govern it.
The president of Pakistan’s Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), Afzal Butt, said the government had not consulted any journalistic bodies before introducing the law, adding he believed it was intended to gag freedom of speech and intimidate journalists and their media outlets.
“We reject this unilateral decision by the government to set up any such tribunals,” Butt told Reuters. “We also are in favor of regulations, but, you know, a law enforcement agency or a police officer can’t decide what is false or fake news.”
The PFUJ said in a statement it would start countrywide rallies against the new law next week and that if the law was not withdrawn, it would stage a sit-in protest outside parliament.
Digital rights activists also criticized the new law.
Reporters Without Borders, an organization that promotes and defends press freedom, ranked Pakistan low on its 2024 world Press Freedom Index, at number 152. The group also says Pakistan is one of the most dangerous places for journalists to work.
Kyiv says received bodies of 757 killed Ukrainian troops
- The exchange of prisoners and return of their remains is one of the few areas of cooperation between Moscow and Kyiv
KYIV: Kyiv said Friday it had received the bodies of hundreds of Ukrainian troops killed in battle with Russian forces, in one of the largest repatriations since Russia invaded.
The exchange of prisoners and return of their remains is one of the few areas of cooperation between Moscow and Kyiv since the Kremlin mobilized its army in Ukraine in February 2022.
The repatriation announced by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, a Ukrainian state agency, is the largest in months and underscores the high cost and intensity of fighting ahead of the war’s three-year anniversary.
“The bodies of 757 fallen defenders were returned to Ukraine,” the Coordination Headquarters said in a post on social media.
It specified that 451 of the bodies were returned from the “Donetsk direction,” probably a reference to the battle for the mining and transport hub of Pokrovsk.
The city that once had around 60,000 residents has been devastated by months of Russian bombardments and is the Kremlin’s top military priority at the moment.
The statement also said 34 dead were returned from morgues inside Russia, where Kyiv last August mounted a shock offensive into Russia’s western Kursk region.
Friday’s repatriation is at least the fifth involving 500 or more Ukrainian bodies since October.
Military death tolls are state secrets both in Russia and Ukraine but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed last December that 43,000 Ukrainian troops had been killed and 370,000 had been wounded since 2022.
The total number is likely to be significantly higher.
Russia does not announce the return of its bodies or give up-to-date information on the numbers of its troops killed fighting in Ukraine.
AlUla’s vision based on strong partnerships, holistic development, says royal commission official
- Ben Hudson highlights pacts with global investors and nations
- Plan includes $31.9bn contribution to Kingdom’s GDP by 2035
DAVOS: Taking a socially and economically responsible approach to development and working closely with committed partners is the key to fulfilling AlUla’s potential.
This is according to the Royal Commission for AlUla’s Chief Development and Construction Officer Ben Hudson, who spoke to Arab News at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week.
Hudson also emphasized the commission’s commitment to cultural preservation in transforming AlUla into a global destination.
Hudson underscored the RCU’s alignment with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 reform program. “(The) RCU is unlocking AlUla’s economic, investment, and touristic potential through comprehensive regeneration, integrated partnerships, and inclusive sustainable development.”
Highlighting the AlUla Sustainability Charter as a blueprint for the organization’s initiatives, he said the RCU was also focused on revitalizing the built environment, community empowerment, and light-touch tourism.
Citing the example of the Dar Tantora The House Hotel, he said this was tangible proof of its plan in action, where the blending of traditional materials with local expertise has created new socio-economic opportunities while preserving the cultural heritage of the area.
Hudson was keen to highlight the RCU’s plans to contribute SR120 billion ($31.9 billion) to Saudi Arabia’s gross domestic product by 2035, driven by sustainable tourism and investment.
In Davos, Hudson said the RCU was looking to foster global partnerships to accelerate AlUla’s regeneration.
“We are building on AlUla’s position as an ancient crossroad of civilizations, transforming AlUla into the world’s largest living museum, and a place for our community to thrive, (and this) can only be achieved when we work together,” he said.
“Our first strategic partnership was established with France, almost at RCU’s inception. Since then, we’ve grown our network, establishing partnerships with China, Italy, the UK, and world-class partners from the US, among others.
“We continue to make progress in evolving our partnership portfolio by working with UNESCO, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the World Bank, and many others,” he said.
These collaborations enable billions of dollars in private sector investment across hospitality, real estate, cultural conservation, and infrastructure.
Hudson emphasized the importance of co-investment, inviting partners to join in developing key infrastructure, such as power and water, and creating vibrant public spaces. “This gives our partners confidence and provides a platform for sustained engagement, be it with our community or across the business landscape,” he said.
Preserving AlUla’s rich cultural heritage remains central to the RCU’s mission. Hudson described the area as a “hidden gem,” now revealed to the world, with strategies in place to balance conservation with growth.
Collaboration with organizations including the International Council on Monuments and Sites has enabled the creation of Heritage Impact Assessments to protect cultural areas while facilitating new construction, he said.
“Our goals are shaped by community feedback, from the people who stand to benefit the most, whose culture and heritage make AlUla what it is,” he explained.
The RCU’s short-term goals focus on making AlUla a livable destination that embodies the Quality-of-Life Program of Vision 2030, by attracting investment, enhancing infrastructure, and creating opportunities for local and global stakeholders.
Looking to the future, Hudson said the RCU’s commitment was to “creating a destination built around a vibrant culture and ancient heritage —somewhere to live, work, invest, and grow.”
