UAE

31 July 2019; MEMO: The slowdown in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)’s tourism industry has pushed the Jumeirah Group LLC hotel chain to lay off hundreds of employees, Bloomberg reported yesterday.

“The government-owned luxury hotel chain, which manages 24 properties in eight countries, recently shed about 500 jobs,” the New York-based agency said.  Jumeirah currently employs 13,500 people.

29 July 2019; MEMO: The UAE has proposed that it hosts the second “deal of the century” meeting, Al-Khaleej Online reported yesterday.

Citing Arab sources, the site said Abu Dhabi sent a message to US President Donald Trump through his son-in-law Jared Kushner that it is ready to host the second meeting of its peace plan the deal of the century.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Latest on tensions in the Persian Gulf amid a crisis between the United States and Iran (all times local):

5:30 a.m.

Iran’s state-run media is quoting the country’s Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying the Islamic Republic helped an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz amid U.S. concern that Tehran seized one there.

The state-run IRNA news agency early Wednesday quoted Abbas Mousavi as saying Iran towed an unnamed vessel to harbor after it suffered a technical malfunction.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A small oil tanker from the United Arab Emirates traveling through the Strait of Hormuz entered Iranian waters and turned off its tracker three days ago, leading the U.S. to suspect Iran seized the vessel amid heightened tensions in the region.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran says remarks by the country’s foreign minister about Iran’s missile program possibly being up for negotiations with the U.S. meant to challenge Washington’s arms sales policy to the region — and were not meant to indicate a readiness by Tehran for any such talks.

The Foreign Ministry’s spokesman, Abbas Mousavi, tweeted late on Tuesday that Mohammad Javad Zarif’s comments “threw the ball into the U.S. court while challenging America’s arm sales” to its Mideast allies.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s foreign minister has for the first time suggested his country’s ballistic missile program could be on the table for negotiations with the U.S. — if America stops selling arms to its Gulf allies in the Mideast.

Mohammad Javad Zarif’s comments came in an NBC News interview that aired Monday night.

Iran long has maintained its ballistic missile program, under the control of its Revolutionary Guard, is for defensive purposes only. The 2015 nuclear deal that Tehran struck with world powers did not include its missile program.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Latest on the tensions between the United States and Iran (all times local):

3:30 p.m.

The European Union says it is making some progress on its controversial barter-type system to trade with Iran and get around U.S. sanctions as part of its efforts to keep the nuclear deal alive.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The British navy said it prevented three Iranian paramilitary vessels from impeding the passage of a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz early Thursday, a day after Iran’s president warned of repercussions for the seizure of its own supertanker.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard denied the allegations, saying if it had received orders to seize any ships it would have done so immediately.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia says it has intercepted a drone launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeting “civilian infrastructure” in the kingdom.

The announcement on the state-run Saudi Press Agency early Tuesday did not identify what the drone targeted.

The Houthi’s Al-Masirah satellite television station said the Houthis sought to again target Abha regional airport, which they’ve hit several times in recent weeks, as well as a power station in Abha.

Attacks on Abha’s airport have wounded dozens and killed at least one person.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran announced Sunday it will raise its enrichment of uranium, breaking another limit of its faltering 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and further heightening tensions between Tehran and the U.S.

Iran made the decision a year after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal. Iran has repeatedly warned Europe in recent weeks that it would begin walking away from an accord neutered by a maximalist American campaign of sanctions that blocked Tehran’s oil sales abroad and targeted its top officials.