The United States has issued a public call to its ally Britain to back its economic and political campaign to punish Iran for backing proxy wars and “malign activities” abroad.
The US ambassador to London, Woody Johnson, said the UK should use its “considerable diplomatic power and influence” to secure a new deal that curtails Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
US President Donald Trump pulled out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) three months ago in the face of strong lobbying from the UK, European powers, Russia and China, who backed the continuation of the Barack Obama-era deal.
The UK has made it clear that it opposed Mr Trump’s move, one of a number of foreign policy disagreements that have strained relations between the two long-term allies.
In co-ordination with European powers, the UK has continued to work to enable companies to trade with Iran even as Mr Trump has imposed fresh sanctions and warned companies of the dangers of doing business with the country.
Mr Johnson made clear in a newspaper column at the weekend that he wanted the UK to split from the European bloc to work with the US on the package of anti-Iranian sanctions. He said that Iran had squandered the economic benefit from the 2015 nuclear deal to ramp up military spending and expand its terrorist networks.
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Read more:
[ Iran Supreme Leader calls for reaction to 'economic war' ]
[ A choice between reform, adjustment and self-sabotage: Tehran considers its options ]
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"The Iranian regime is spending billions of dollars to destabilise the region. It is backing Assad's atrocities against the Syrian people," he wrote in an article for UK's Sunday Telegraph newspaper.
“It is launching cyber attacks against Western democracies. It is sponsoring Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon. It is arming militants in Yemen. It has publicly stated its quest to destroy Israel.”
Mr Johnson said the Trump administration had spent the last year talking with its closest ally Britain to fix the nuclear agreement.
“The only sensible course of action was to rip it up and build a lasting agreement on more solid foundations,” he wrote.
“Until then, America is turning up the pressure and we want the UK by our side. It is time to move on from the flawed 2015 deal.
“We are asking global Britain to use its considerable diplomatic power and influence and join us as we lead a concerted global effort towards a genuinely comprehensive agreement.”
The article followed comments by Britain's Middle East minister, Alistair Burt, who last week ruled out Britain going along with the policy of the US.
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glenn Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
Try out the test yourself
Q1 Suppose you had $100 in a savings account and the interest rate was 2 per cent per year. After five years, how much do you think you would have in the account if you left the money to grow?
a) More than $102
b) Exactly $102
c) Less than $102
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
Q2 Imagine that the interest rate on your savings account was 1 per cent per year and inflation was 2 per cent per year. After one year, how much would you be able to buy with the money in this account?
a) More than today
b) Exactly the same as today
c) Less than today
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
Q4 Do you think that the following statement is true or false? “Buying a single company stock usually provides a safer return than a stock mutual fund.”
a) True
b) False
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
The “Big Three” financial literacy questions were created by Professors Annamaria Lusardi of the George Washington School of Business and Olivia Mitchell, of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Answers: Q1 More than $102 (compound interest). Q2 Less than today (inflation). Q3 False (diversification).
The five pillars of Islam
Ramez Gab Min El Akher
Creator: Ramez Galal
Starring: Ramez Galal
Streaming on: MBC Shahid
Rating: 2.5/5
Rajasthan Royals 153-5 (17.5 ov)
Delhi Daredevils 60-4 (6 ov)
Rajasthan won by 10 runs (D/L method)
Hidden killer
Sepsis arises when the body tries to fight an infection but damages its own tissue and organs in the process.
The World Health Organisation estimates it affects about 30 million people each year and that about six million die.
Of those about three million are newborns and 1.2 are young children.
Patients with septic shock must often have limbs amputated if clots in their limbs prevent blood flow, causing the limbs to die.
Campaigners say the condition is often diagnosed far too late by medical professionals and that many patients wait too long to seek treatment, confusing the symptoms with flu.
More on Quran memorisation:
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan 1 (Martinez 18' pen)
Juventus 2 (Dybala 4', Higuain 80')
ABU DHABI'S KEY TOURISM GOALS: BY THE NUMBERS
By 2030, Abu Dhabi aims to achieve:
• 39.3 million visitors, nearly 64% up from 2023
• Dh90 billion contribution to GDP, about 84% more than Dh49 billion in 2023
• 178,000 new jobs, bringing the total to about 366,000
• 52,000 hotel rooms, up 53% from 34,000 in 2023
• 7.2 million international visitors, almost 90% higher compared to 2023's 3.8 million
• 3.9 international overnight hotel stays, 22% more from 3.2 nights in 2023
'Jurassic World Dominion'
Director: Colin Trevorrow
Stars: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pratt
Rating: 4/5
Review: Tomb Raider
Dir: Roar Uthaug
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Daniel Wu, Walter Goggins
two stars
