Iran's televised display of missile firepower, accompanied by thunderous rhetoric, brought international condemnation and rattled oil markets, but did little to impress military analysts who said the muscle-flexing was not potent enough to deter any would-be attacker.
Their reservations will be compounded by what appears to be a bit of sloppy propaganda from Iran's vaunted Revolutionary Guards.
The first photo released on Wednesday by the Guards' media arm, Sepah News, showed four missiles shooting skyward in unison.
The impressive image, picked up by an international news agency, made front pages around the world. Yesterday, however, Sepah published a version of the same image but with only three missiles - and no explanation for the discrepancy.
Could it be one of its cherished missiles misfired and did Sepah doctor the photo to hide the mishap? Agence France-Presse, which obtained the original image from Sepah's website, withdrew the four-missile version yesterday morning, saying the image had apparently been "digitally altered" by Iranian state media. The fourth missile has "apparently been added in digital retouch to cover a grounded missile that may have failed during the test", the French news agency said.
It is not a slip Iran would want to acknowledge to the United States or Israel or its people. The nine missiles fired were designed to prove the Islamic republic's ability to retaliate against attack - while protecting Iranians who may have been rattled by recent Israeli military exercises that were effectively practice runs for a potential strike against Iran's nuclear facilities.
Iran appeared undeterred by the propaganda slip up, test-firing more missiles yesterday, even as Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, warned that Washington had beefed up its security presence in the Gulf and would not hesitate to defend Israel and other allies in the region.
Ms Rice said a planned US missile defence shield, to be partly based in the Czech Republic and Poland, would dampen any threat of an attack from Iran.
"We also are able to look to the future of a missile defence system that will make it more difficult for Iran to threaten [and] and be bellicose and say terrible things because their missiles won't work," Ms Rice said.
Few Iran observers would be surprised if the Iranian state media had tampered with the photo. Tehran has long been suspected of exaggerating its military capabilities. Iran boasted on Wednesday that among the nine missiles it test-fired was a "new version" of its Shahab-3 with a proclaimed range of 2,000km.
A missile with such reach could strike Israel, Turkey, the Arabian peninsula, Afghanistan and Pakistan, encompassing an area where tens of thousands of American troops are stationed.
But some analysts thought the images provided by Iran showed a Shahab missile - primarily based on North Korean technology and locally improved - that was several years old.
Another military analyst, Paul Beaver, said Iran's missile programme was fairly advanced but still needed to get accuracy and guidance systems for long distances. "They are some way away yet from threatening Israel or US bases," he told Reuters.
Iran's military claims it has thousands of missiles readied against predetermined targets, but does not give a breakdown. But Peter Wezeman, a researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Institute, said he did not believe Iran had many Shahab-3 missiles in stock or that they could cause major destruction: they were not that accurate and also carried a limited payload. "I don't think it is really going to impress Israel that much as long as they [Iranians] use conventional warheads," he said.
Similarly, Iran has been accused of hyping its progress in uranium enrichment, a programme it insists is solely to generate electricity but which the West suspects is aimed at developing a weapons capability.
"While deeply troubling, Iran's real nuclear progress has been less than the sum of its boasts," Nicholas Burns, a US undersecretary of state, said just hours after Iran's first missile tests on Wednesday. "It has not yet perfected [uranium] enrichment and, as a direct result of UN sanctions, Iran's ability to procure technology or items of significance to its missile programmes, even dual-use items, is being impaired."
Tehran, however, may be more concerned by the news yesterday that Total said it would not invest in Iran because it is too politically risky. It was the last major western energy group to have considered seriously investing in Iran's huge gas reserves.
Despite Sepah's apparent slip-up, some Iran watchers were impressed by the television footage of Iran's "Noble Prophet III" military exercises which came with a soundtrack blasting out rap music, with both religious and nationalistic motifs.
One Iranian viewer, describing the production as a "postmodern pastiche" detected the work of "Hich-kas", an Iranian underground "gangsta rap" artist, and the London-based Iranian rapper, Reveal, although no attribution was made for the soundtrack.
mtheodoulou@thenational.ae
Uefa Champions League play-off
First leg: Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Ajax v Dynamo Kiev
Second leg: Tuesday, August 28, 11pm (UAE)
Dynamo Kiev v Ajax
Fixtures (6pm UAE unless stated)
Saturday Bournemouth v Leicester City, Chelsea v Manchester City (8.30pm), Huddersfield v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm), Manchester United v Crystal Palace, Stoke City v Southampton, West Bromwich Albion v Watford, West Ham United v Swansea City
Sunday Arsenal v Brighton (3pm), Everton v Burnley (5.15pm), Newcastle United v Liverpool (6.30pm)
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 2
Keita 5', Firmino 26'
Porto 0
KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
More coverage from the Future Forum
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
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.
The specs: Audi e-tron
Price, base: From Dh325,000 (estimate)
Engine: Twin electric motors and 95kWh battery pack
Transmission: Single-speed auto
Power: 408hp
Torque: 664Nm
Range: 400 kilometres
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
RESULTS
5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (Turf) 2,200m
Winner: M'A Yaromoon, Jesus Rosales (jockey), Khalifa Al Neydai (trainer)
5.30pm: Khor Al Baghal – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: No Riesgo Al Maury, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6pm: Khor Faridah – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: JAP Almahfuz, Royston Ffrench, Irfan Ellahi
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Mahmouda, Pat Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: AS Jezan, George Buckell, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
7.30pm: Khor Laffam – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Dolman, Antonio Fresu, Bhupath Seemar
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP
Group A
Paraguay
Japan
Switzerland
USA
Group B
Uruguay
Mexico
Italy
Tahiti
Group C
Belarus
UAE
Senegal
Russia
Group D
Brazil
Oman
Portugal
Nigeria
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
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THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
How to invest in gold
Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.
A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.
Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”
Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”
Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”
By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.
You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.
You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.
Brief scores:
Newcastle United 1
Perez 23'
Wolverhampton Rovers 2
Jota 17', Doherty 90' 4
Red cards: Yedlin 57'
Man of the Match: Diogo Jota (Wolves)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
Manchester United v Liverpool
Premier League, kick off 7.30pm (UAE)
The years Ramadan fell in May