The Jabalieh Dome, a magnificent stone rotunda of ancient and mysterious provenance, has long drawn visitors to the south-eastern Iranian city of Kerman. However, since 2020, when the body of the prolific Iranian general Qassem Suleimani was buried a kilometre away, it has become a mere side attraction. Suleimani, who was the most powerful figure in Iran’s security apparatus at the time of his death, is so highly regarded that his burial site attracts thousands of mourners each year.
Now, the stretch of road between Suleimani’s tomb and the dome will be known for the tragedy that transpired there on Wednesday, the fourth anniversary of his death, when twin explosions killed nearly 100 people, many of them visiting mourners. It was the deadliest terrorist attack on Iranian soil since the country’s 1979 revolution.
When Suleimani was killed by a US drone strike in Baghdad four years ago, it seemed as though the entire Middle East stood still. Everyone – including Iran’s own government – feared that even the slightest counter could set the whole region ablaze. That almost happened a few days afterwards, when an Iranian missile operator near Tehran erroneously downed a commercial aircraft he mistook for a hostile warplane, killing 176 people.
In the end, no new war broke out after the killing of Suleimani, although existing ones very much continued. In that incredibly tense atmosphere, cooler heads prevailed.
The hope is that a similar outcome awaits the region at the end of this week. The blasts in Kerman happened amid a particularly volatile time in the Middle East. Israel’s increasingly horrific invasion of Gaza, sparked by a brutal attack carried out by Hamas on October 7, has claimed 22,000 Palestinian lives. A day before the attack in Kerman, what appeared to be an Israeli drone strike in the Lebanese capital killed Saleh Al Arouri, a Hamas official particularly close to the Iranian government.
Editorials from The National
It is unsurprising many in Iran have pointed the finger for Wednesday’s bombings at Israel, given that country’s special status in Iranian propaganda. As we wrote in these pages, the Israeli government’s killing of Mr Al Arouri did it no favours; it signalled the country’s willingness to expand its war deep into other countries, giving fuel to critics’ worst suspicions.
Nonetheless, there are other potential culprits. Chief among them, based on capability and modus operandi, is ISKP, the branch of ISIS based in neighbouring Afghanistan. Last night, ISIS claimed responsibility for the bombings.
The blasts in Kerman happened amid a particularly volatile time in the Middle East
If that is the case, it will be a reminder that instability is spreading as much in the region’s eastern deserts as it is on its Mediterranean shore. The international community’s failures in finding a way to engage constructively with Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers, to whom it unceremoniously abandoned the country in 2021, has not only given opportunity to groups like ISIS, but brought greater volatility to the Afghan-Iranian border area. The Taliban and Iran have occasionally found areas of mutual interest (fighting ISKP, which frequently attacks the Taliban, may be one of them now), but their shared history is coloured more by violence than co-operation. Suleimani himself made his reputation in Iran’s military in part by planning operations against Afghan militants, including the Taliban.
Taking the Middle East from where it is now to a calmer place is not a matter of rolling back the clock. The enormous damage done in the past three months cannot be undone.
Even so, regional governments and the international community should make it the highest priority now not to fan any flames. A US drone strike on Iran-backed militias in Baghdad on Thursday indicates this will be difficult. But efforts at methodical diplomacy and de-escalation are worth making in earnest. A durable solution in at least one of these many conflicts plaguing the region can encourage more of the same in others.
About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
MATCH INFO
AC Milan v Inter, Sunday, 6pm (UAE), match live on BeIN Sports
RESULTS
6.30pm: Longines Conquest Classic Dh150,000 Maiden 1,200m.
Winner: Halima Hatun, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ismail Mohammed (trainer).
7.05pm: Longines Gents La Grande Classique Dh155,000 Handicap 1,200m.
Winner: Moosir, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm: Longines Equestrian Collection Dh150,000 Maiden 1,600m.
Winner: Mazeed, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
8.15pm: Longines Gents Master Collection Dh175,000 Handicap.
Winner: Thegreatcollection, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Longines Ladies Master Collection Dh225,000 Conditions 1,600m.
Winner: Cosmo Charlie, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
9.25pm: Longines Ladies La Grande Classique Dh155,000 Handicap 1,600m.
Winner: Secret Trade, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
10pm: Longines Moon Phase Master Collection Dh170,000 Handicap 2,000m.
Winner:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Tales of Yusuf Tadros
Adel Esmat (translated by Mandy McClure)
Hoopoe