US ambassador urges response 'short of war' to Gulf tankers attack

The US should take "reasonable responses short of war" after determining the perpetrator of the attack on the oil tankers of the coast of the UAE, the US ambassador to Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday, according to Reuters.

"We need to do a thorough investigation to understand what happened, why it happened, and then come up with reasonable responses short of war," Ambassador John Abizaid told reporters in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Four commercial vessels of various nationalities were allegedly targeted by acts of sabotage off the coast of the UAE on Sunday. The assault, which has yet to be claimed by a group, was condemned across the region.

Washington suspects Iran but Tehran has denied any involvement.

"The incidents in the Sea of Oman are alarming and regrettable," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Monday.

The US military's preliminary assessment is that Iranian or Iranian-backed proxies used explosives on Sunday to blow large holes in four ships anchored off the coast of the UAE, a US official speaking on condition of anonymity said on Monday.

The official said each ship has a five-to-ten foot hole in it, near or just below the water line, and the team's early belief is that the holes were caused by explosive charges.

The team of US military experts was sent to investigate the damages at the request of the UAE, but American officials have not provided any details about what exactly happened or any proof about the possible Iranian involvement in the alleged sabotage incidents.

Gulf officials have characterised the damage to the tankers as a sabotage. Two Saudi oil tankers, a Norwegian-flagged vessel, and a bunkering tanker flagged in Sharjah, one of the UAE's seven emirates, all suffered similar damage on Sunday.

The damage occurred off the UAE port of Fujairah, which is the UAE's only terminal located on the Arabian Sea coast, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, a global shipping route through which most Gulf oil exports pass. Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait if it is involved in a military confrontation with the US.

The incident comes amid rising tensions between Iran and the US. The US has warned ships that "Iran or its proxies" could be targeting maritime traffic in the region.

Washington has strengthened its military presence in the region, including deploying a number of strategic B-52 bombers in response to alleged threats from Tehran.

The incident comes after months of increasing diplomatic and economic pressure on Iran, which Washington accuses of threatening American interests and allies in the region, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

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This harmless Ramadan phrase could get you jailed for seven years in the UAEOpen in fullscreen
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This harmless Ramadan phrase could get you jailed for seven years in the UAE
During the holy month, Muslims try to abstain from cursing and aggression [Getty]
Date of publication: 14 May, 2019

An Emirati lawyer has warned people in the UAE that saying a common phrase during Ramadan could end up in a seven-year jail term. Tags: UAE, Ramadan, law.
An Emirati lawyer has warned residents in the UAE that saying a common phrase during Ramadan could result in them being put behind bars for up to seven years.

Youssef al-Sharif told local newspaper Emarat al-Youm on Tuesday that saying "don't make me break my fast on you" could lead to prison time as it could be considered a criminal threat.

"For some people, the change in daily habits while fasting makes them harsh when challenging others. They are liable to argue and use provocative language," Sharif was quoted as saying.

"Lot of people say 'don't make me break my fast on you'... without knowing the possible legal ramifications,"

The commonly used phrase (in Arabic: la takhaleeni aftar aleek) is used as a warning or a joke during Ramadan.

During the holy month, Muslims try to abstain from cursing and aggression while also not eating and drinking during daylight hours.

Sharif said that fasting makes some people "lose control of their emotions and lash out at others verbally" - actions that invalidate a person's fast.

He warned that courts in the UAE have recently put people on trial for making verbal threats.

"One case saw a man from a non-Gulf country charged for threatening a bank teller after he told him to wait his turn. The man told the teller: 'you are uneducated and you don't know who are you dealing with,'" Sharif explained.

Despite attempting to paint itself as a hip tourist location and "land of tolerance", the UAE has repeatedly come under fire from human rights groups for its harsh laws.

Hardly a week goes by without news emerging of a bizarre or politically-motivated arrest in the oil-rich Gulf country.

Recent examples include a British man arrested for wearing a Qatar football jersey or a man jailed for three-months for accidentally touching another man in a bar.

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Harmless Ramadan phrase could get you jailed in UAE

Article Credit: https://www.alaraby.co.uk/
Special thanks to Kathryn Meier!!