The US has publicly named the 14 Iranian nationals it sanctioned for human rights breaches last Friday.
The US State Department said the people were designated for their involvement in “gross violations of human rights on behalf of the Iranian regime, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism”.
The sanctions ban them and their family members from entering the US.
Among them are 13 officials the State Department said were involved in “a brutal and intricately planned assassination” carried out in Switzerland in 1990.
Kazem Rajavi, a prominent Iranian academic and opposition figure, was shot dead in his car in Coppet, a village near Geneva where he lived, in April 1990.
“These 13 individuals, who posed as Iranian diplomats, were acting under the highest orders of their government to silence opposition and show that no one is safe from the Iranian regime, no matter where they live,” the State Department said.
The 13 include Sadegh Baba’ie, Ali Reza Hamadani, Said Danesh, Ali Hadavi, Saeed Hemati, Mohammad Reza Jazayeri, Moshen Esfahani, Ali Moslehiaraghi, Naser Pourmirzai, Mohsen Pourshafiee, Mohammad Rezvani, Mahmoud Sajadian and Yadollah Samadi.
The State Deparment also designated Hojatollah Souri, the director of Iran’s notorious Evin Prison.
“Mr Souri oversaw an institution synonymous with torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment,” the department said.
Tension between Washington and Tehran have heated up since US President Donald Trump in 2018 withdrew from the 2015 nuclear accord signed with world powers and began imposing new sanctions on Iran.
The US moved last Thursday to restore UN sanctions on Iran, including an arms embargo.
It said Tehran had broken the deal it struck with world powers even though Washington abandoned the agreement.
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
