UAE

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A former top Saudi counterterrorism official has filed a federal lawsuit in the United States against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, alleging the royal tried to trap and kill him in the U.S. and Canada.

The lawsuit, filed on Thursday, by Saad Aljabri is the latest effort by the former intelligence official to try and bring about international and public pressure on the crown prince, following years of silence in exile abroad.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iraq said on Friday it would cut its oil production by another 400,000 barrels per day in both August and September to compensate for its overproduction in the past three months.

Iraq oil minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar said in a joint statement with his Saudi counterpart Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman that Iraq’s output cut was in addition to the 850,000 bpd it had committed to cut in August and September under an OPEC+ supply pact.

The total cut to Iraq’s production in August and September will amount to 1.25 million bpd for each month.

DUBAI (Reuters) - A fire broke out at an Iranian industrial area near Tehran on Tuesday, Iran’s state TV reported, the latest in a string of fires and explosions, some of which have hit sensitive sites.

“The fire broke out at the industrial area of the Jajrud district in the Pardis county this morning ... there were no casualties ... firefighters are trying to contain the fire,” it said.

A fire department official told state TV that the cause of the fire was under investigation.

03 Aug 2020; MEMO: The foreign minister of United Arab Emirates told his Iranian counterpart that strengthening bilateral cooperation was an important element in tackling the coronavirus, UAE state news agency WAM said on Sunday, quoted by Reuters.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan made the comment to Mohammad Javad Zarif in a video call during which they also exchanged greetings for the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, it said.

DUBAI, Aug 2 (NNN-WAM) – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced on Saturday, the start-up operations of its first nuclear power plant in the capital, Abu Dhabi.

The milestone achievement was announced through a tweet by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE’s prime minister.

“We announce the UAE’s success in operating the first peaceful nuclear energy reactor in the Arab world … the work teams succeeded in loading nuclear fuel packages, carrying out comprehensive tests and successfully completing the operation,” tweeted Sheikh Mohammed yesterday.

DUBAI (Reuters) - The foreign minister of United Arab Emirates told his Iranian counterpart that strengthening bilateral cooperation was an important element in tackling the coronavirus, UAE state news agency WAM said on Sunday.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan made the comment to Mohammad Javad Zarif in a video call during which they also exchanged greetings for the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, it said.

Shi’ite Muslim Iran has long been at odds with U.S. Gulf Sunni Arab allies the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

02 Aug 2020; MEMO: The United Arab Emirates has begun start-up operations in the initial unit of its first nuclear power plant, Reuters reported the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) as saying on Saturday.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ruled out negotiations with the United States over Tehran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programmes on Friday and urged Iranians to resist U.S. pressure.

“America’s brutal sanctions on Iran are aimed at collapsing our economy ... Their aim is to limit our influence in the region and to halt our missile and nuclear capabilities,” Khamenei said in a speech broadcast live on television.

“Relying on national capabilities and cutting our dependence on oil exports will help us to resist America’s pressure.”

30 July 2020; MEMO: A British gang leader accused of drug and weapons trafficking has been arrested in Dubai and extradited to the UK, local police said in a statement yesterday.

Craig Martin Moran, 38, the ring-leader of the notorious ‘Colin Gunn’ gang, who has been branded “dangerous” was arrested in Dubai under a red notice that was put out by Interpol.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard launched missiles Tuesday targeting a mock aircraft carrier in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a drill that included such a barrage of fire the U.S. military temporarily put two regional bases in the Mideast on alert amid tensions between the two countries.