US to impose tough sanctions on Iran in November, including flights

An airplane of Mahan Air sits at the tarmac after landing at Sanaa International Airport in the Yemeni capital on March 1, 2015. (File/AFP)
Updated 14 September 2018
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US to impose tough sanctions on Iran in November, including flights

  • Sanctions on Iran will start Nov. 4, which will effect Iranian carrier Mahan
  • The US says Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism

The US Assistant Secretary Marshall Billingslea said on Thursday that the United States will impose tough sanctions on Iran starting Nov. 4, including sanctions on Iranian carrier Mahan and its supporters.

Billingslea praised Gulf countries’ unprecedented support for the administration’s efforts to put an end to Iran’s influence in the region.

“Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, continues to fund groups like Hizballah and Hamas and bankroll the Syrian regime’s slaughter of its people while advancing its missile program and sowing regional instability,” he said refereeing to Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Hamas in Gaza.

“Russia provides weaponry and defense materiel to Iran, and extensive support to the Syrian regime enabling Assad’s brutal targeting of his own citizens,” US Assistant Secretary added.


Jordan begins implementing Royal directives to modernize Arab Army

Updated 11 sec ago
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Jordan begins implementing Royal directives to modernize Arab Army

  • On Saturday, it was reported that King Abdullah had announced the strategy

AMMAN: Jordan’s Armed Forces have begun implementing royal directives from King Abdullah II aimed at restructuring and modernizing the Arab Army to strengthen its operational readiness and ability to meet evolving security challenges, it was announced on Sunday.

The overhaul is designed to sharpen combat capabilities and establish a streamlined, flexible force equipped to operate across varied environments, while adapting to the demands of modern and unconventional warfare, the Jordan News Agency reported.

The directives called for closer alignment between organizational structures and operational needs, alongside upgrades to command, control and communications systems. 

They also urged stronger integration across military branches and units, as well as expanded use of advanced technologies, including unmanned systems and cyber capabilities.

Plans also include reinforcing reserve forces, improving logistics to ensure reliable supply chains, and supporting Jordan’s defense industries to enhance self-sufficiency and efficiency.

In a statement, the Jordanian Armed Forces said they were fully committed to carrying out the royal directives as part of a broader strategic vision to raise professionalism and preparedness.

On Saturday, it was reported that King Abdullah had announced a strategy “to achieve a structural transformation in the armed forces over the course of the next three years,” Petra said.

In a letter to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the King wrote: “Our Arab Army is a national institution that every Jordanian is proud of.”

“We must examine the requirements for modernizing and developing our Armed Forces, while restructuring them to keep pace with combat demands within various environments of operation,” the king wrote. 

The king also said the army must have sufficient reserve forces reinforced with the necessary capabilities.

“Our Armed Forces must have sufficient reserve forces, equipped with the various needed capabilities to execute their operations efficiently.”