Latest news with #MBZ
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
‘Relationship will get bigger': Trump announces AI deal with UAE in Mid-East tour's finale
US President Donald Trump arrived in the United Arab Emirates for the final stop of his Middle East tour. At a state dinner with UAE President Sheikh MBZ, Trump praised their strong friendship, calling MBZ 'a truly great warrior.' He also highlighted a massive $1.4 trillion investment in AI from the Emirates, marking a major milestone in US-UAE relations. Show more Show less
Nahar Net
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Report: Iran responds to Trump's nuclear talks proposal as US sends bombers to region
by Naharnet Newsdesk 29 March 2025, 10:55 Iran has delivered a formal written response to U.S. President Donald Trump's letter proposing new nuclear talks and threatening consequences if a deal is not reached swiftly, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday. Trump gave Iran a two-month deadline to sign a new nuclear deal or face potential military action in his letter, sent three weeks ago. Iran delivered its response via the Gulf Sultanate of Oman, which duly notified the U.S., a source with knowledge of the issue confirmed to U.S. news portal Axios. The Omanis briefed the U.S. on the messages they received from the Iranians and will deliver the Iranian letter to the White House in the coming days, the source said. Araghchi said in a news conference that Iran maintains its position that it won't negotiate directly with the Trump administration so long as Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign is in place, but is willing to hold indirect talks. In recent days, the U.S. military sent several B-2 stealth bombers to the Diego Garcia military base in the Indian Ocean in a deployment a U.S. official said was "not disconnected" from Trump's two-month deadline. The B-2 bombers can carry huge bunker buster bombs that would be a key element in any possible military action against Iran's underground nuclear facilities. A spokesperson for U.S. Strategic Command confirmed the deployment to Axios and said Stratcom "routinely conducts global operations in coordination with other combatant commands, services, and participating U.S. government agencies to deter, detect and, if necessary, defeat strategic attacks against the United States and its allies." Three weeks ago in an interview with Fox News' Maria Bartiromo, Trump revealed that he'd sent a letter to the Iranian leader proposing direct negotiations. That letter was delivered by his envoy Steve Witkoff to United Arab Emirates Mohammed Bin Zayed (MBZ), with MBZ's envoy Anwar Gargash traveling to Tehran to deliver it to Araghchi. That same week, Trump said the U.S. is "down to the final moments" with Iran. "We can't let them have a nuclear weapon. Something is going to happen very soon. I would rather have a peace deal than the other option, but the other option will solve the problem," he said. Oman played a key role mediating between the U.S. and Iran during the Obama and Biden administrations. Several rounds of indirect talks have been held in Oman between Biden's advisers and Iranian officials. Those talks mostly focused on regional issues and hostages, but didn't lead to serious negotiations over the nuclear program.
Axios
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Iran responds to Trump's nuclear talks proposal as U.S. sends bombers to region
Iran delivered a formal written response to President Trump's letter proposing new nuclear talks and threatening consequences if a deal is not reached swiftly, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday. Why it matters: Trump gave Iran a two-month deadline to sign a new nuclear deal or face potential military action in his letter, sent three weeks ago. Driving the news: Iran delivered its response via the Gulf Sultanate of Oman, which duly notified the U.S., a source with knowledge of the issue confirmed to Axios. The Omanis briefed the U.S. on the messages they received from the Iranians and will deliver the Iranian letter to the White House in the coming days, the source said. The source did not offer details on the nature of the Iranian response. The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Araghchi said in a news conference that Iran maintains its position that it won't negotiate directly with the Trump administration so long as Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign is in place, but is willing to hold indirect talks. State of play: Trump and his top advisers have left the door open for talks while also using the threat of military force. In recent days, the U.S. military sent several B-2 stealth bombers to the Diego Garcia military base in the Indian Ocean in a deployment a U.S. official said was "not disconnected" from Trump's two-month deadline. The B-2 bombers can carry huge bunker buster bombs that would be a key element in any possible military action against Iran's underground nuclear facilities. A spokesperson for U.S. Strategic Command confirmed the deployment to Axios and said Stratcom "routinely conducts global operations in coordination with other combatant commands, services, and participating U.S. government agencies to deter, detect and, if necessary, defeat strategic attacks against the United States and its allies." Catch up quick: Three weeks ago in an interview with Fox News' Maria Bartiromo, Trump revealed that he'd sent a letter to the Iranian leader proposing direct negotiations. That letter was delivered by his envoy Steve Witkoff to United Arab Emirates Mohammed Bin Zayed (MBZ), with MBZ's envoy Anwar Gargash traveling to Tehran to deliver it to Araghchi. That same week, Trump said the U.S. is "down to the final moments" with Iran. "We can't let them have a nuclear weapon. Something is going to happen very soon. I would rather have a peace deal than the other option, but the other option will solve the problem," he said. Flashback: Oman played a key role mediating between the U.S. and Iran during the Obama and Biden administrations.
New York Times
27-03-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Senior aide of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince was mystery £30m broker in investigated Manchester City sponsorship deal
The mysterious 'Person X' who facilitated sponsorship payments to Manchester City in one of the deals being investigated by the Premier League was, at the time, a key aide of Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ), now the ruler of Abu Dhabi. According to an unpublished 2020 judgement made by UEFA's Club Financial Control Board (CFCB), Manchester City's lawyers name the individual involved in supplying the supposed sponsorship money from state-owned Emirati telecommunications company Etisalat as 'Jaber Mohamed'. Advertisement The judgement, which has been seen and authenticated by The Athletic, as well as previously by the makers of a YouTube documentary about Manchester City's legal battle with the Premier League and The Times, states he was 'a person in the business of providing financial and brokering services to commercial entities in the UAE'. It can now be revealed that, at the time, Jaber Mohamed worked as the General Director of the Crown Prince's Court (CPC), an Abu Dhabi government body that runs the public affairs of the then Crown Prince, MBZ. Another even more senior figure at the CPC was also on Manchester City's board then too, a position he held for over a decade, raising uncomfortable questions not just about the source of the funding for the sponsorship payments, but also as to whether the payments were known about within the highest seats of power in the UAE. A post shared by Jaber Mohamed Alsuwaidi (@j_alsuwaidi) In their 2020 judgement the CFCB concluded that Manchester City were guilty of breaking UEFA's financial rules, finding that payments from Etisalat, facilitated by Jaber Mohamed, were actually 'disguised equity funding'. Equity funding refers to funding that is directly injected into a club by its owners, whose cap is dictated by UEFA financial fair-play rules (FFP). Clubs are required to accurately declare their income annually to comply with FFP regulations. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) later overturned that judgement, ruling that the claims related to Etisalat were time-barred. Manchester City have always denied any wrongdoing and insist the transactions were genuine sponsorship payments. Much of CAS' judgement was redacted due to requests from the parties — including the name of a mysterious 'Person X' who facilitated payments from Etisalat. For example, in CAS' public summary of the CFCB report, they state that UEFA found that '[X] paid GBP [xxx] towards Etisalat's sponsorship obligations… no sensible explanation has ever been provided by MCFC as to why [City owners] ADUG needed to engage the assistance of [X] to make the payment.' Advertisement However, UEFA's unredacted report reveals Person X as 'Jaber Mohamed', finding that he was a central figure in the controversial transaction. Investigators at UEFA were provided with bank statements containing Jaber Mohamed's name, with the panel stating in their conclusions that one email 'clearly evidences an arrangement under which cash of £15million is to be paid by 'the shareholder' but paid through the bank account of the sponsors… In the event, a payment of £15million was made from the account of Jaber Mohamed to the account of the Club on 10 January 2013, not via Etisalat.' The panel details: 'two payments of £15million made by Jaber Mohamed on 13 June 2012 and 10 January 2013.' In concluding their write-up of the Etisalat segment of the judgement, the five-person panel states: 'The Adjudicatory Chamber is comfortably satisfied… [that] the management of the club was well aware that the payments totalling £30million made by Jaber Mohamed were made as equity funding, not as payments for the sponsor on account of genuine sponsorship liabilities.' UEFA declined to comment on any element of this story when approached by The Athletic. Jaber Mohamed has uploaded several pictures of himself at Manchester City on his public Instagram page, including posing with former players David Silva, Jesus Navas, and Sergio Aguero during their time at the club. Other pictures show him with chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak and the Premier League trophy. His role within the power structures of the UAE has never previously been publicly identified. According to a now removed page on the CPC website, Jaber Mohamed was one of the two most senior aides to MBZ as the General Director of the CPC. He variously spells his surname as Mohammed on the CPC website but as Mohamed on his personal Instagram account — these disparities are not uncommon when translating Arabic into English due to the greater tendency to use double letters in English. The Athletic has authenticated that this is the same man. Advertisement Whilst UEFA found that Jaber Mohamed was 'a person in the business of providing financial and brokering services to commercial entities in the UAE', The Athletic has not been able to find evidence of him holding any business or governmental roles beyond the CPC which might explain why he would be asked to provide financial or brokering services to companies linked to Manchester City. Mohamed and the CPC did not respond to multiple requests for comment. A post shared by Jaber Mohamed Alsuwaidi (@j_alsuwaidi) The CPC's website describes Jaber Mohamed's job as acting as the chief operational officer, whose role was to 'oversee the day to day operations […and] also interact with all other divisions, sections, and units that all fall under the auspices of the CPC'. According to the UAE Cabinet's website, Jaber Mohamed held the role from August 16 2005 to August 16 2022. More broadly, the CPC states its own role as 'managing the public affairs of the Crown Prince, including his involvement in corporate and philanthropic projects'. It also describes itself as 'an independent entity that enjoys full legal status as a government body'. According to sources with knowledge of the Premier League's current case against Manchester City, speaking anonymously as they are not authorised to discuss proceedings publicly, Jaber Mohamed's involvement in the transaction led to the role of the CPC, a government body, in facilitating the alleged sponsorship rule breaches becoming a significant line of inquiry for the Premier League as they investigated whether the payments were from the sponsors, Etisalat, or from elsewhere. But the CPC's involvement also raises wider questions over the extent to which MBZ, given the alleged involvement of members of his court in providing payment, was aware of City's sponsorship arrangements. Given Manchester City's strong denial of any state involvement in the ownership and control of the club, and the Europe-wide debate surrounding state ownership and control of football clubs, this link to a UAE government body raises uncomfortable questions about the nation's role at the club, which should be of significant interest to the Premier League, whose role it is to oversee such matters. The Premier League offered no comment when contacted by The Athletic with these concerns. State ownership and control is currently permitted in the UK game provided that would not raise issues under the Owners' and Directors' Test. However the planned new football regulator is considering implementing rules outlawing state ownership or control of football clubs in the UK. Manchester City have always insisted that it would be legally inaccurate to describe the club as state-owned. City are majority owned by the Abu Dhabi United Group, the private equity company which is owned by Sheikh Mansour, the vice president and deputy prime minister of the UAE. His brother is MBZ. A post shared by Jaber Mohamed Alsuwaidi (@j_alsuwaidi) Adding to the questions to be answered, it can also be revealed that another key figure at City, former board member Mohamed Al Mazrouei, is listed as working at the CPC as the organisation's undersecretary. This role, according to the CPC, saw him 'determine the strategic direction and the internal policies of the CPC and supervise its implementation', where he 'reported directly to the chairman (MBZ).' He and Jaber Mohamed, at the time of the payments, were the two most senior employees of the CPC. Advertisement According to the UAE Cabinet's website, Al Mazrouei served as undersecretary of the CPC from 2009 to 2022, and is now the Minister of State for Defense. He sat on the City board from January 30 2010 until January 1 2022, just over a year before the Premier League announced they had charged City with at least 115 breaches of financial rules. In the Premier League's case against Manchester City, which concluded in December, the club are accused of falsely increasing their revenue by inflating sponsorship deals with associated parties, including the deal with Etisalat, and also with hiding some costs by failing to declare some salaries and image-rights payments. They strongly deny any wrongdoing. A verdict is due in the coming weeks. Either side can appeal the decision, but if found guilty, the range of punishment which City could face is severe, including a points deduction which could relegate the club from the Premier League. Manchester City did not respond to multiple requests for comment. (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)
Axios
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Scoop: Trump's letter to Iran included 2-month deadline for new nuclear deal
President Trump's letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei included a two-month deadline for reaching a new nuclear deal, one U.S. official and two sources briefed on the letter told Axios. Why it matters: It isn't clear whether the two month-clock begins from the time the letter was delivered or from when negotiations start. But if Iran rejects Trump's outreach and doesn't negotiate, the chances of U.S. or Israeli military action against Iran's nuclear facilities would dramatically increase. The big picture: Iran's nuclear program has advanced over the past four years and it is closer than ever to producing a nuclear weapon. Its stockpile of 60% enriched uranium is enough for six nuclear bombs if enriched to 90%, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. Iran has denied it is pursuing nuclear weapons. Catch up quick: Two weeks ago in an interview with Fox News' Maria Bartiromo, Trump revealed that he sent a letter to the Iranian leader proposing direct negotiations. A day later Trump said the U.S. is "down to the final moments" with Iran. "We can't let them have a nuclear weapon. Something is going to happen very soon. I would rather have a peace deal than the other option but the other option will solve the problem," he said. The letter was delivered a few days ago by Trump envoy Steve Witkoff to the president of the United Arab Emirates Mohammed Bin Zayed (MBZ) in a meeting in Abu Dhabi. A day later, MBZ's envoy Anwar Gargash travelled to Tehran and gave the letter to the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Behind the scenes: The sources said Trump's letter to Khamenei was "tough." On the one hand, it proposed negotiations on a new nuclear deal, but on the other hand warned of consequences if Iran rejects the offer and continues to push forward with its nuclear program. Trump said in the letter that he doesn't want open-ended negotiations and mentioned a two-month period for getting a deal, two sources said. Before the letter was delivered to the Iranians, the White House briefed several U.S. allies including Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE about its contents, a U.S. official and a source with knowledge told Axios. The White House declined to comment. The Iranian mission to the UN did not respond to requests for comment. What they're saying: Last week Iran's leader Khamenei called Trump's letter and his proposal for negotiations "a deception" that is only meant to create the impression that Iran refuses to negotiate. Khamenei said he didn't support negotiations with the U.S. but several hours later the Iranian mission to the UN issued a statement on X and didn't rule out negotiations between Iran and the U.S. over the nuclear program. "If the objective of negotiations is to address concerns vis-à-vis any potential militarization of Iran's nuclear program, such discussions may be subject to consideration," it said in the statement. The Iranian mission to the UN added however that if the aim of the talks is "the dismantlement of Iran's peaceful nuclear program to claim that what Obama failed to achieve has now been accomplished, such negotiations will never take place." What to watch: Iran's foreign ministry said in a briefing with reporters earlier this week that Trump's letter is still being studied and Iran's response is being drafted. Trump said on Monday that the U.S. will consider any further attacks by the Houthis in Yemen as emanating from Iran and threatened the Iranian government with "dire consequences." Iran has said it doesn't control the Houthis. In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump said there are reports that Iran is reducing its military support for the Houthis but "they are still sending large levels of Supplies." He reiterated his call for Iran to stop supplying the Houthis. Trump's national security adviser Mike Waltz said on Sunday that Iran needs to "hand over and give up" all elements of its nuclear program including missiles, weaponization and enrichment of uranium "or they can face a whole series of other consequences," adding that "Iran has been offered a way out of this."
