Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant. After the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, Iran ratcheted up its nuclear programme. AFP
Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant. After the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, Iran ratcheted up its nuclear programme. AFP
Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant. After the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, Iran ratcheted up its nuclear programme. AFP
Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant. After the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, Iran ratcheted up its nuclear programme. AFP

Former US officials urge Biden to reimpose 'maximum pressure' on Iran


Jihan Abdalla
  • English
  • Arabic

More than two dozen former US diplomats and politicians wrote a joint letter to President Joe Biden on Monday, urging him to reimpose the “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran.

Former ambassadors, members of Congress and representatives to international organisations said the US should revert to the policy imposed by former president Donald Trump in 2018, saying it was the only effective way to halt the expansion of Iran’s nuclear programme.

“Today, we write to urge you and your team to stop all diplomatic overtures toward the Islamic Republic of Iran and instead reimpose the 'maximum pressure' campaign — the only effective policy to protect the American people, the Iranian people, and others in the region and around the world from the Islamic Republic’s threats,” the former diplomats wrote.

“It was a campaign of isolation — diplomatic and economic — that worked in putting the regime on its heels, reining in its malign activities across the region and restoring America’s deterrent against it.”

The letter comes on the fifth anniversary of Mr Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a deal signed by Iran and world powers in 2015 that put limits on Tehran's nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief.

After the US withdrawal, Iran ratcheted up its nuclear programme, with a Pentagon official saying in March that Tehran had made “remarkable” progress in production since 2018 and could develop a bomb within 12 days.

Iran has long maintained that its nuclear programme is intended for peaceful purposes.

Most in Washington remain unconvinced, however, especially given Iran's activities in the region, which have frequently been described as “destabilising”.

In recent weeks, Iran seized two oil tankers in Gulf waters in the latest regional incidents.

And last week, the Biden administration announced new sanctions against the intelligence wing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps over its role in the detention of Americans Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi and Morad Tahbaz, who have been held for years on what the US State Department calls “bogus” espionage charges.

A bipartisan congressional group last week introduced a bill that would permanently allow American presidents to apply economic sanctions on Iran.

Mr Biden, who took office in 2021, has long pushed for a return to the nuclear deal.

But that approach, the former officials wrote in Monday's letter, is “misplaced and reckless”.

“The United States should never pre-emptively set the negotiating table with concessions, not least with an adversary with four decades of rhetoric and actions targeting the United States and the American people,” they wrote.

“The approach of pre-emptively offering sanctions relief and that trust in the regime is entirely misplaced and reckless given the regime’s record of lying about its nuclear programme.”

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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'Skin'

Dir: Guy Nattiv

Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

UAE Falcons

Carly Lewis (captain), Emily Fensome, Kelly Loy, Isabel Affley, Jessica Cronin, Jemma Eley, Jenna Guy, Kate Lewis, Megan Polley, Charlie Preston, Becki Quigley and Sophie Siffre. Deb Jones and Lucia Sdao – coach and assistant coach.

 
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Porsche Macan T: The Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo 

Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm 

Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm 

Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto 

Speed: 0-100kph in 6.2sec 

Top speed: 232kph 

Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km 

On sale: May or June 

Price: From Dh259,900  

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

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BULKWHIZ PROFILE

Date started: February 2017

Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: E-commerce 

Size: 50 employees

Funding: approximately $6m

Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait

Second ODI

England 322-7 (50 ovs)
India 236 (50 ovs)

England win by 86 runs

Next match: Tuesday, July 17, Headingley 

Analysis

Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.

The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement. 

We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment. 

 

The UAE squad for the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games

The jiu-jitsu men’s team: Faisal Al Ketbi, Zayed Al Kaabi, Yahia Al Hammadi, Taleb Al Kirbi, Obaid Al Nuaimi, Omar Al Fadhli, Zayed Al Mansoori, Saeed Al Mazroui, Ibrahim Al Hosani, Mohammed Al Qubaisi, Salem Al Suwaidi, Khalfan Belhol, Saood Al Hammadi.

Women’s team: Mouza Al Shamsi, Wadeema Al Yafei, Reem Al Hashmi, Mahra Al Hanaei, Bashayer Al Matrooshi, Hessa Thani, Salwa Al Ali.

Key facilities
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  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

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GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

Results

5pm Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m

Winner No Riesgo Al Maury, Szczepan Mazur (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)

5.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m

Winner Marwa W’Rsan, Sam Hitchcott, Jaci Wickham.

6pm Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m

Winner Dahess D’Arabie, Al Moatasem Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi.

6.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m

Winner Safin Al Reef, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi.

7pm Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 2,200m

Winner Thulbaseera Al Jasra, Shakir Al Balushi, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.

7.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh 80,000 2,200m

Winner Autumn Pride, Szczepan Mazur, Helal Al Alawi.

Anti-semitic attacks
The annual report by the Community Security Trust, which advises the Jewish community on security , warned on Thursday that anti-Semitic incidents in Britain had reached a record high.

It found there had been 2,255 anti-Semitic incidents reported in 2021, a rise of 34 per cent from the previous year.

The report detailed the convictions of a number of people for anti-Semitic crimes, including one man who was jailed for setting up a neo-Nazi group which had encouraged “the eradication of Jewish people” and another who had posted anti-Semitic homemade videos on social media. 

Updated: May 09, 2023, 3:21 PM`