digital infrastructure Archives
CNME Editor Mark Forker spoke to Adawi Abu Joudeh, Managing Director at Cell Information, to find out more about their relationship with Cisco, the increase in market demand for better digital infrastructure and our need for better connectivity solutions.
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The National
an hour ago
- The National
Iran internet disrupted as country imposes restrictions
There has been significant decline in internet traffic within Iran as a result of temporary restrictions issued by the country's Ministry of Information and Communications following Israeli strikes, according to NetBlocks, which tracks cyber security and digital governance around the world. It is not yet clear how severe the restrictions will be and what impact they will have. "We inform the honourable people of Iran that, in view of the country's special conditions and with the measures of the competent authorities, temporary restrictions have been imposed on the country's internet," a message from the ministry read. On Thursday evening, the ministry indicated that the limits would be lifted once the situation returns to normal. Since the announcement of the restrictions, data from NetBlocks showed internet traffic in Iran dropping by almost 50 per cent. Virtual internet service providers within the country, which rely on ISPs outside Iran, have also been affected. Internet disruptions imposed by the government in Iran are not unusual. It's not clear if low-earth-orbit satellite based internet services like Starlink, which have been blocked by Iran in past, are usable. Mr Musk was allowed to activate Starlink over Iran during the 2022 nationwide protests, amid the Iranian government's severe internet restrictions. Starlink's current service map shows Iran as being blacked out, meaning that the service is not officially available, though there are workarounds that have been used in the past.
Zawya
2 hours ago
- Zawya
Trump tells Iran to make deal after Israel blasts nuclear and military targets
Israel launched a barrage of strikes across Iran on Friday, saying it had attacked nuclear facilities and missile factories and killed a swathe of military commanders in what could be a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran building an atomic weapon. U.S. President Donald Trump, Israel's main ally, suggested that Iran had brought the attack on itself by resisting a U.S. ultimatum in talks to restrict its nuclear programme. "I think it's been excellent. We gave them a chance and they didn't take it ... They got hit about as hard as you're going to get hit. And there's more to come. A lot more," he was quoted as saying in a recorded interview by an ABC reporter on X. "Two months ago I gave Iran a 60-day ultimatum to 'make a deal'," Trump added in a post on Truth Social. "They should have done it! Today is day 61 ... Now they have, perhaps, a second chance!" Washington said it had no part in the operation, however. Iran promised a harsh response to the overnight onslaught, which killed the heads of both its armed forces and the powerful Revolutionary Guards, and Israel said about 100 drones had been launched towards Israeli territory in retaliation. But around 0800 GMT, an order to Israeli citizens to remain near protected areas had been lifted, suggesting that most or all of the drones had been intercepted. In a televised message, President Masoud Pezeshkian urged Iranians to stand by their leaders and said a powerful response "will make Israel regret its foolish act". The price of crude leapt around 8% on fears of wider retaliatory attacks across a major oil-producing region. But the national Iranian oil company said refining and storage facilities had not been damaged and continued to operate. An Israeli security source said Mossad commandos had been operating deep inside the Islamic Republic before the attack and the Israeli spy agency and military had mounted a series of covert operations against Iran's strategic missile array. Israel also established an attack-drone base near Tehran, the source added. The military said it had bombarded Iran's air defences, destroying "dozens of radars and surface-to-air missile launchers". Iran said several top commanders and six nuclear scientists had been killed, including the armed forces chief of staff, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, and Revolutionary Guards chief Hossein Salami. In all, at least 20 senior commanders were killed, two regional sources said. The head of the Revolutionary Guards aerospace force, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, was also reported to be among them. Iran's main nuclear enrichment facility at Natanz suffered significant damage, Israeli military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said. Briefing journalists online, Defrin said 200 Israeli fighter jets took part in the strikes, hitting more than 100 targets. He said the military was working through a phased attack plan and that the operation may be lengthy. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, invoked the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust to justify his decision to attack Iran, framing the strikes as a decisive step to protect Israel from a future existential threat. Just before 6 a.m. Washington time, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. "I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal," he said. "There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end. Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left..." At one time, Israel might have expected a wave of retaliation from Iranian-backed militias around the region. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement that Israel had "unleashed its wicked and bloody" hand and would suffer "a bitter fate". But since war erupted in Gaza in October 2023, Israel has severely weakened Iran's allies, notably by assassinating the top leaders of the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah and attacking the Houthis who control large parts of Yemen. Airlines quit the airspace over Israel, Iran, Iraq and Jordan after the Israeli strikes, Flightradar24 data showed, with carriers diverting or cancelling flights. Israeli airlines El Al, Israir and Arkia said they were moving their planes out of Israel and Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport was shut. Dubai-based Emirates cancelled flights to and from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Iran as Iran closed its airspace. Israeli military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said tens of thousands of soldiers had been called up and "prepared across all borders". Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi joined global calls for de-escalation and accused Israel of violating international law. "At an extremely critical time when the U.S. was negotiating a nuclear deal with Iran that would save the whole region and the world, a new vicious escalation," he said on X. Iran's armed forces spokesperson accused Washington of providing support for the operation. But Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. had not been involved and Israel had acted unilaterally in self-defence. U.S. officials have repeatedly said any new deal - to replace a 2015 accord between Tehran and six world powers from which Trump withdrew - must include a commitment to scrap uranium enrichment, a prerequisite for developing nuclear bombs. NUCLEAR TALKS WITH IRAN DUE ON SUNDAY The Islamic Republic insists it wants nuclear energy only for civilian purposes. But the IAEA's Board of Governors on Thursday declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years. Iran is a signatory to the global nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Israel is not, and is believed to have the Middle East's sole nuclear arsenal. Iran said in a statement that Israel's "cowardly" attack showed why Iran had to insist on enrichment, nuclear technology and missile power. Some Iranian citizens opposed to the ruling clerics expressed hope that Israel's attack might lead to their downfall, though one Tehran resident who was not a supporter of clerical rule said Iran must retaliate. "We can't afford not to respond. Either we surrender and they take our missiles, or we fire them. There's no other option — and if we don't, we'll end up surrendering them anyway." The Israeli military said it had been forced to act by new intelligence information showing that Iran was "approaching the point of no return" in the development of a nuclear weapon. But a source familiar with U.S. intelligence reports said there had been no recent change in the U.S. assessment that Khamenei had not authorised a resumption of the nuclear weapons programme that was shut in 2003. Trump was convening his National Security Council on Friday morning, the White House said. He had said on Thursday that an Israeli strike on Iran "could very well happen" but reiterated his hopes for a peaceful resolution. U.S. and Iranian officials are scheduled to hold a sixth round of talks on Tehran's escalating uranium enrichment programme in Oman on Sunday.
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
Israel-Iran conflict delivers double hit to airlines on security fears and fuel costs
Israel's attack on Iran is the latest in a series of global conflicts that are ratcheting airlines' security concerns, while weighing on their operations and profitability. An increasing number of conflict zones around the world means airlines are forced to take longer and costlier routes – impacting fuel, emissions and passengers. For passengers, this means flight cancellations and delays or longer journeys as jets are diverted away from conflict areas. Airlines are grappling with more airspace closures, threats from missiles or drones and GPS jamming. Israel's attack on Friday is part of a broader trend of escalating geopolitical tensions that are 'directly impacting global aviation', following the situations in Ukraine and the Red Sea, according to independent security, aviation, maritime and energy analyst Dean Mikkelsen. 'We're witnessing a growing patchwork of restricted airspace and this is putting considerable pressure on airlines and passengers alike,' he told The National. For travellers, the most immediate impact will be on fares as aviation disruption results in longer flight times due to rerouting. In this case, routes need to be adapted around Iranian, Syrian and at times even Iraqi airspace, Mr Mikkelsen said. Fuel consumption is expected to rise significantly. Jet fuel already makes up around 30 per cent of an airline's operating costs and that burden only grows when 30 to 90 minutes of extra flight time is needed. Mr Mikkelsen estimates that routes from Asia to Europe or the Gulf to North America could translate to a 7 per cent to 15 per cent increase in fares, particularly on long-haul itineraries, especially as the peak summer season approaches. Other knock-on effects are those on crew hours, insurance premiums and scheduling complexity, all of which erode profitability, he noted. 'Carriers already operating on tight post-pandemic margins will feel this sharply,' he added. The Israel-Iran conflict throws the region's aviation industry into question, especially with the uncertainty about how long the hostility will last. Airspaces should always remain neutral and accessible when it is safe to do so, according to the International Air Travel Association. Closures, in addition to using them in retaliatory ways, 'fragment global connectivity, disrupt operations and hurt passengers and economies', the Geneva-based Iata said. Conflict zones substantially add to the disruption risks: in 2024, geopolitical conflicts led to significant airspace restrictions, affecting a substantial portion of long-haul routes, according to Iata data. For instance, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, now in its fourth year, forced the rerouting of about 1,100 daily flights, leading to longer flight times and increased operational challenges, it said. Fuel and emissions have also surged. Detours around conflict zones can lead to an average fuel consumption increase of 13 per cent on affected routes, Iata added. When British Airways had to suspend flights to Beijing because it needed to avoid Russian airspace, the flight time was almost three hours longer and fuel costs increased by a fifth. In October 2024 alone, multiple flights encountered Iranian missiles aimed at Israel, leading to diversions and emergency manoeuvres, Iata said. The effect that conflict zones have on airspaces is also reflected in the shift of activity to other areas. For instance, countries like Egypt, with many rerouted flights passing through its airspace, would result in increased overflight fees and greater regional air traffic. 'The Cairo Flight Information Region is becoming a crucial alternative corridor, alongside Jordan and Saudi Arabia,' Mr Mikkelsen said. Airlines across the region have delayed and cancelled flights following Israel's early morning attack on Iran. Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv has shut down until further notice, Iran has declared its airspace closed and Iraq has temporarily suspended civilian operations at all its airports. In the UAE, Etihad Airways cancelled its services to and from Tel Aviv, as Israel placed its air defence systems on high alert in anticipation of possible retaliation. Other major airlines, including Emirates, Lufthansa and Air India, rerouted services mid-flight on Friday. An Emirates flight from Manchester was diverted to Istanbul, while an Air India flight from New York to Delhi was diverted to Sharjah.
