UAE

DUBAI (Reuters) - The sanctions imposed on Iran by the United States are a “criminal act” against the country, Iranian’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Saturday, according to state TV.

“These sanctions are criminal act ... but we can turn it to an opportunity by distancing Iran’s economy from being dependent on oil exports,” said Khamenei.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran is not posing any threat to other countries, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Saturday, according to State TV, adding that Tehran was determined to guarantee its own security.

“Iran poses no threat to any other country ... Our only aim is to make sure our security is guaranteed,” Khamenei told a group of commanders and staff of Iran’s Air Force.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran has a very strong Air Force despite limitations imposed on the country by the United States since the country’s 1979 Islamic revolution, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told a gathering of Air Force commanders and staff on Saturday.

“Since the revolution their aim was to stop us from having a strong air force ... but look at us now. We even build planes. We have transformed their pressure to opportunity,” said Khamenei according to state news agency IRNA.

(Reuters) - Investigators on Thursday said pilots failed to monitor engine settings ahead of the crash of an Emirates jet at Dubai airport more than three years ago, in which all 300 passengers and crew safely evacuated but a firefighter died.

The plane caught fire after skidding along the airport runway on its fuselage while trying to abort a landing.

Pilots on the flight from India in August 2016 did not notice that the Boeing 777-300’s engine thrust settings remained too low and also missed out part of a cockpit procedure, investigators said.

06 Feb 2020; MEMO: Abu Dhabi based Etihad Airways has decided to sell 38 aircrafts for $1 billion in a bid to reduce losses incurred by the national carrier.

The company said in a statement on Tuesday that the aircrafts include 16 Boeing 777-300ERs and 22 Airbus A330s which have been sold to KKR investment firm and commercial aviation finance company Altavair AirFinance.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran will launch a satellite into orbit by the end of this week, a government minister said on Monday, as part of a fledging program that the United States says is a cover for ballistic missile development.

“We are not afraid of failure and we will not lose hope. With your prayers and trust in God, the Zafar satellite by the end of this week ... will be heading toward an orbit of 530 km from Earth,” Iranian Minister of Information and Communications Technology Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi tweeted.

ABU DHABI, Feb 3 (NNN-BERNAMA) — The UAE iconic landmarks including Burj Khalifa – world’s tallest building – in Dubai and ADNOC Headquarters in Abu Dhabi were lit up in the colours of the Chinese national flag on Sunday night in solidarity with Beijing over the outbreak of new coronavirus, reported Emirates News Agency (WAM).

DUBAI (Reuters) - A motion for Iran to quit the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was introduced in parliament on Tuesday, the assembly’s news site ICANA reported, in a move that appears to raise the stakes in Tehran’s confrontation with the West.

The report did not say when parliament might vote on the motion. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the highest authority in the Islamic Republic, makes the final decisions regarding the country’s nuclear policy.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Qatar’s ruler has appointed a new prime minister, the office of Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said on Tuesday, choosing a close associate for an influential role that seeks to ensure the emir’s writ runs throughout the Gulf State’s administration.

The change comes as Qatar gears up to host the 2022 World Cup, which it hopes will boost its economy and international influence, and coincides with surging U.S.-Iran tensions and a lingering quarrel between Qatar and some Gulf Arab neighbors.

DUBAI (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates’ Minister of Energy said on Monday the oil market should not overreact to the possible impact of an outbreak of coronavirus in China on demand.

Suhail al-Mazrouei said he was confident in the ability of China and the international community to bring the current outbreak under control.