The Trump strategy calls China and Russia “strategic competitors” . AP Photo/Evan Vucci
The Trump strategy calls China and Russia “strategic competitors” . AP Photo/Evan Vucci
The Trump strategy calls China and Russia “strategic competitors” . AP Photo/Evan Vucci
The Trump strategy calls China and Russia “strategic competitors” . AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Revealed: Trump talks tough on Tehran as he announces his national security strategy


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The Trump government has released its released its national security strategy in which it calls China a “strategic competitor”, singles out jihadist terrorism, escalates its policy against Iran and omits climate change as a threat.

The strategy, a document every US president must provide, was released on Monday with Mr Trump expected to present it in a speech at the Ronald Reagan building last night.

The 70-page document was released ahead of schedule, and was put together by departing deputy national security adviser Dina Habib Powell and senior director at the national security council, Nadia Schadlow.

The paper has tough talk for Tehran, pledging to confront “the danger posed by the dictatorship in Iran, which those determined to pursue a flawed nuclear deal had neglected”.

It accuses Tehran of trying “to destabilise regions, threaten Americans and our allies, and brutalise their own people”.

“Iran supports terrorist groups and openly calls for our destruction,” it says, laying the ground to counter Tehran’s ballistic missile activities and those of “Iranian-backed groups such as Lebanese Hizbollah”.

The document said Washington sought a “Middle East that is not a safe haven or breeding ground for jihadist terrorists, not dominated by any power hostile to the US, and that contributes to a stable global energy market”.

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“For years, the interconnected problems of Iranian expansion, state collapse, jihadist ideology, socio-economic stagnation and regional rivalries have convulsed the Middle East,” it said.

“Some of our partners are working together to reject radical ideologies, and key leaders are calling for a rejection of Islamist extremism and violence. Israel is not the cause of the region’s problems.

“We remain committed to helping our partners achieve a stable and prosperous region, including through a strong and integrated GCC. We will strengthen our long-term strategic partnership with Iraq as an independent state.

“We will seek a settlement to the Syrian civil war that sets the conditions for refugees to return home and rebuild their lives in safe. We will work with partners to deny the Iranian regime all paths to a nuclear weapon and neutralise Iranian malign influence.

“We remain committed to helping facilitate a comprehensive peace agreement that is acceptable to both Israelis and Palestinians.”

A senior US official said Mr Trump made the decision on the spot to approve the document less than 12 months into his term. His predecessors took more than a year or even 20 months to present theirs.

“The US has not been competing as it should,” the ­official said.

The Trump strategy calls China and Russia “strategic competitors” and uses the phrase Jihadist terrorism instead of violent extremism or just terrorism, as used during the Obama presidency.

The strategy pledges to “pursue threats to their source, so that jihadist terrorists are stopped before they ever reach our borders”.

The document identifies Tehran and Pyongyang as “rogue regimes” and seeks to work with regional partners and Europeans to counter “Russian subversion and aggression, and the threats posed by North Korea and Iran”.

It says that “the US is deploying a layered missile defense system focused on North Korea and Iran to defend our homeland against missile attacks”.

But it says that “enhanced missile defence will not undermine strategic stability or disrupt long-standing strategic relationships with Russia or China”.

A senior US official said that relations with Russia were no longer at an all-time low but “lot of work needs to be done” for improvement.

The official said that Washington’s tactics in Northern Iraq made it harder for Tehran to establish a land bridge through Iraq and Syria, and into Lebanon.

Unlike Mr Trump’s campaign where he called Nato obsolete, the document emphasises the need to “work with Nato to improve its integrated air and missile defense capabilities to counter existing and projected ballistic and cruise missile threats, particularly from Iran”.

The document is the first to be released by the Trump team and will serve as a strategic guideline to US policy until the next administration.

Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.

The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?

My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.

The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.

So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.

 

 

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 325bhp

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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar. 

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1:  Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6:  The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29:  At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite  a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa. 

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
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Price: On request

Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

Price: From Dh439,000

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