President Sheikh Mohamed on Tuesday received a phone call from Masoud Pezeshkian, President of Iran.
During the call, he welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire agreement between Iran and Israel, expressing hope it would serve as a foundation for enhancing stability, security and peace across the Middle East, state news agency Wam reported.
He also reaffirmed the UAE’s stance in supporting initiatives that advance peace and regional security. Mr Pezeshkian thanked Sheikh Mohamed for the UAE’s position and solidarity.
It follows a tumultuous 24 hours for the Gulf, after a thwarted Iranian attack on a major US military base in Qatar on Monday evening.
The attack on Al Udeid Airbase, which came in retaliation for the US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites at the weekend, led to the closure of airspace above Qatar, Bahrain and Iraq, forcing some flights to be diverted.
A Qatari military official said two waves comprising 19 missiles had been launched at the base. All but one were shot down and there were no casualties.
US President Donald Trump later said Iran and Israel have agreed to a 12-hour ceasefire, but Tehran initially pushed back on this claim.
The ceasefire is expected to be enacted at about midnight Washington time, “at which point the war will be considered ended”, Mr Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
“Officially, Iran will start the ceasefire and, upon the 12th hour, Israel will start the ceasefire and, upon the 24th hour, an official end to the 12-day war will be saluted by the world,” he said.
TERMINAL HIGH ALTITUDE AREA DEFENCE (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US's most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out ballistic missiles as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 150 kilometres above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then stationed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
Family reunited
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.
She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.
She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.
The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.
She was held in her native country a year later.
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SHAITTAN
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