Iran’s claims that it had nothing to do with the attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities no longer seem credible after the compelling evidence Saudi officials have produced of the weaponry that was used.
In the immediate aftermath of last weekend's attacks on Saudi Arabia's Khurais oil field and the Abqaiq oil processing facility, leaders of the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, who have carried out a number of missile and drone attacks against predominantly civilian targets in Saudi Arabia, said they were responsible.
But following detailed analysis of last Saturday's attack by US and Saudi military experts, there is now little doubt in Washington and Riyadh that ultimate responsibility for the operation, which knocked out nearly 50 per cent of the country's oil processing capacity, lies with Tehran.
Saudi officials are insistent that it could not have been mounted from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen because of the distances involved
As Colonel Turki Al Malki, the Saudi defence ministry spokesman said during a briefing on the attack earlier this week, it was "unquestionably sponsored by Iran". A similar conclusion has been reached by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who, prior to meeting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Red Sea city of Jeddah on Wednesday, told journalists "this was an Iranian attack" that amounted to an "act of war". Washington is now planning to impose a further round of sanctions against Tehran in retaliation.
Moreover, Saudi defence officials have provided detailed evidence demonstrating the Iranian-made weapons that were used in the attack, including a number of cruise missiles and delta wing drones that also belong to the Iranian military.
About the only issue that still needs to be resolved is to determine the launch site, with Saudi officials saying that initial indications are that they were fired from the north, not the south as the Houthis have claimed. American officials have indicated they were fired from western Iran, near the border with Iraq, which is directly north of Abqaiq. Scientists are trying to extract GPS data from the fallen missiles to see if that might provide clues as to where they and the drones originated from.
Yet while the precise of the origin of the attack is still to be confirmed, Saudi officials are insistent that it could not have been mounted from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen because of the distances involved. In his media briefing, Col Al Malki said the missiles’ maximum 690-kilometre range was too short for them to have been fired from Houthi territory.
Certainly, irrespective of the final outcome of the investigation into the attack, it is clear that by targeting Saudi Arabia's critical oil infrastructure, the perpetrators were aiming not just to disrupt Saudi Arabia but the entire global economy.
For at a time when Iran’s economic prospects have been devastated by the sanctions imposed by the US, following president Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the controversial 2015 nuclear deal, Iran is keen to show that it is not the only country that will suffer as a result of the deepening stand-off between Washington and Tehran.
One of the key consequences of Mr Trump’s decision to withdraw from the deal is that it has played into the hands of the regime’s hardliners, who were always sceptical of the deal negotiated by more moderate figures in Tehran such as foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Now that they are back in the ascendant, the hardliners are determined to demonstrate that, despite the sanctions, Iranian power and resolve have not been diminished.
Iran's reliance on using proxies to do its bidding, moreover, is a convenient means of covering its tracks
It is to this end that Tehran has invested heavily in its numerous proxies throughout the region in an attempt to strengthen and consolidate its presence in the Middle East. Thus Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been busy working with terror organisations such as Hezbollah in Syria and Lebanon while supporting pro-Iranian Shia militias in southern Iraq. Tehran’s continued support for the Houthi rebels in their bid to seize control of Yemen also needs to be viewed in the context of Tehran’s regional power grab.
Iran's reliance on using proxies to do its bidding, moreover, is a convenient means of covering its tracks. For all Tehran's bluster, its military capabilities are no match for the US and its allies in the Gulf, which have increased their strength considerably in recent months, following Tehran's attempts to disrupt merchant shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. If Iran were ever reckless enough to involve itself in a conventional military confrontation with the US, it would suffer devastating consequences.
Therefore Iran prefers to indulge in what is known as hybrid warfare, relying on proxies and other non-state actors to do its bidding so that, as with the latest attacks against Saudi Arabia, it can deny any involvement.
The only problem with this type of approach, as Tehran is discovering to its cost, is that, with modern technology, it is much easier to detect who is really driving events.
Thus, while it would be extremely convenient for Iran if the Houthis were able to claim credit for the Saudi attacks, modern intelligence-gathering systems such as spy satellites mean it is far more difficult to conceal the truth.
Consequently, if Iran genuinely believed that it could escape blame for the attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure, it is going to be sorely disappointed.
For no matter how much Tehran might protest its innocence, all the evidence points to Iranian culpability so that, with the Trump administration determined to take punitive action, it will be Iran, not Saudi Arabia, that ultimately suffers most as it is subjected to even greater economic hardship.
Con Coughlin is the Telegraph’s defence and foreign affairs editor
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Company%20profile
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
THE%20SPECS
%3Cp%3EBattery%3A%2060kW%20lithium-ion%20phosphate%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20Up%20to%20201bhp%3Cbr%3E0%20to%20100kph%3A%207.3%20seconds%3Cbr%3ERange%3A%20418km%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh149%2C900%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
In numbers
- Number of children under five will fall from 681 million in 2017 to 401m in 2100
- Over-80s will rise from 141m in 2017 to 866m in 2100
- Nigeria will become the world’s second most populous country with 791m by 2100, behind India
- China will fall dramatically from a peak of 2.4 billion in 2024 to 732 million by 2100
- an average of 2.1 children per woman is required to sustain population growth
THE%20SWIMMERS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESally%20El-Hosaini%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENathalie%20Issa%2C%20Manal%20Issa%2C%20Ahmed%20Malek%20and%20Ali%20Suliman%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
UAE SQUAD FOR ASIAN JIU-JITSU CHAMPIONSHIP
Men’s squad: Faisal Al Ketbi, Omar Al Fadhli, Zayed Al Kathiri, Thiab Al Nuaimi, Khaled Al Shehhi, Mohamed Ali Al Suwaidi, Farraj Khaled Al Awlaqi, Muhammad Al Ameri, Mahdi Al Awlaqi, Saeed Al Qubaisi, Abdullah Al Qubaisi and Hazaa Farhan
Women's squad: Hamda Al Shekheili, Shouq Al Dhanhani, Balqis Abdullah, Sharifa Al Namani, Asma Al Hosani, Maitha Sultan, Bashayer Al Matrooshi, Maha Al Hanaei, Shamma Al Kalbani, Haya Al Jahuri, Mahra Mahfouz, Marwa Al Hosani, Tasneem Al Jahoori and Maryam Al Amri
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
TOURNAMENT INFO
Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri
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.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The Specs
Engine 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp (542bhp in GTS model)
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000 (Dh549,000 for GTS)
US PGA Championship in numbers
1 Joost Luiten produced a memorable hole in one at the par-three fourth in the first round.
2 To date, the only two players to win the PGA Championship after winning the week before are Rory McIlroy (2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational) and Tiger Woods (2007, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational). Hideki Matsuyama or Chris Stroud could have made it three.
3 Number of seasons without a major for McIlroy, who finished in a tie for 22nd.
4 Louis Oosthuizen has now finished second in all four of the game's major championships.
5 In the fifth hole of the final round, McIlroy holed his longest putt of the week - from 16ft 8in - for birdie.
6 For the sixth successive year, play was disrupted by bad weather with a delay of one hour and 43 minutes on Friday.
7 Seven under par (64) was the best round of the week, shot by Matsuyama and Francesco Molinari on Day 2.
8 Number of shots taken by Jason Day on the 18th hole in round three after a risky recovery shot backfired.
9 Jon Rahm's age in months the last time Phil Mickelson missed the cut in the US PGA, in 1995.
10 Jimmy Walker's opening round as defending champion was a 10-over-par 81.
11 The par-four 11th coincidentally ranked as the 11th hardest hole overall with a scoring average of 4.192.
12 Paul Casey was a combined 12 under par for his first round in this year's majors.
13 The average world ranking of the last 13 PGA winners before this week was 25. Kevin Kisner began the week ranked 25th.
14 The world ranking of Justin Thomas before his victory.
15 Of the top 15 players after 54 holes, only Oosthuizen had previously won a major.
16 The par-four 16th marks the start of Quail Hollow's so-called "Green Mile" of finishing holes, some of the toughest in golf.
17 The first round scoring average of the last 17 major champions was 67.2. Kisner and Thorbjorn Olesen shot 67 on day one at Quail Hollow.
18 For the first time in 18 majors, the eventual winner was over par after round one (Thomas shot 73).
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
More on Quran memorisation:
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Meydan race card
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh125,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,200m
7.40pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh170,000 (D) 1,900m
8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 (D)1,200m
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
RESULT
Arsenal 2
Sokratis Papastathopoulos 45 4'
Eddie Ntkeiah 51'
Portsmouth 0
The%20specs
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Company%20profile
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Zodi%20%26%20Tehu%3A%20Princes%20Of%20The%20Desert
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