The UN's atomic watchdog has confirmed a long-awaited visit to Iran on Sunday, as it seeks answers from Tehran on its nuclear activity.
But analysts say it is likely to end in only vague commitments from Iranian officials.
The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed the trip a day after Iran's nuclear chief Mohammed Eslami said he hoped the visit would "resolve issues" with the watchdog, which is calling on Tehran to explain the presence of enriched uranium at three undeclared sites.
IAEA director general Rafael Grossi, who has said he hopes the visit will end the impasse with Tehran, is not expected to take part.
The UN watchdog has issued repeated resolutions urging Tehran to co-operate as the prospects of salvaging the 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and world powers grow dimmer.
Despite Iran's claims it wants to resolve problems with the watchdog, allowing a visit from the IAEA does not spell a significant change from its usual tactics, analysts have told The National.
Iran has a pattern of "floating" offers of engaging with the IAEA with "little substantive results", said Naysan Rafati, senior Iran analyst at Crisis Group International.
"While in principle Sunday's visit gives an opportunity for Tehran to seriously address the IAEA's questions on activities at undeclared sites, in practice it may well turn out to be another exchange with vague commitments and uncertain follow-through," he said.
The IAEA had planned to visit Iran last month but the trip was abandoned over Iran's continued failure to provide clear-cut answers.
The agency's 35-member board pressed Tehran for a response in mid-November, with the US saying the time for "empty promises" was over.
"For the US and Europeans this is a clear-cut case of the Islamic Republic failing to meet its obligations," said Mr Rafati.
Sahil Shah, senior Iran policy adviser to the European Leadership Network, said: "The agency has made clear that the explanations Iran has provided to date do not add up, and it is the organisation's job to get to the bottom of where the material that left the traces has ended up."
Iran's hosting of IAEA officials on Sunday may be little more than an attempt to distract its population, an Iran expert told The National last week, as Tehran is executing anti-government protesters who have been rallied against the government for the past three months.
Tehran has given “ample reason” to doubt it is serious about main obstacles to reviving the nuclear deal, said Henry Rome, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
The regime has repeatedly demanded that the IAEA drop its investigations and has made it a core condition for returning to the nuclear accord.
But the international community must resist putting political pressure "to sway one way or the other", said Mr Shah.
"The agency cannot be bullied by Iran or anyone else to simply close the case," he added.
The 2015 nuclear deal lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for a series of commitments to curb its nuclear programme. It fell apart when former US president Donald Trump withdrew from the accord in 2018, reimposing sanctions on Tehran.
The agreement capped Iran's uranium enrichment at 3.67 per cent, but Tehran has stepped up levels of enrichment and its stockpile of enriched uranium well past the limits of the accord since 2018, and has announced plans to install advanced centrifuges at several nuclear plants.
Failure to revive the deal will not mean the rest of the world is "flying blind", however.
The 1964 Safeguard Agreement allows the IAEA access to most information on Iran's nuclear activity and gives a "good picture" of its increasing stockpiles, said Mr Shah.
However, it does not mean the international community is out of the woods.
Mr Shah said: "Iran is advancing its nuclear activities at a rate where it could eventually be able to produce multiple significant quantities between IAEA inspections, which would make detection and disruption much more challenging."
Film: In Syria
Dir: Philippe Van Leeuw
Starring: Hiam Abbass, Diamand Bo Abboud, Mohsen Abbas and Juliette Navis
Verdict: Four stars
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Clinicy%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Prince%20Mohammed%20Bin%20Abdulrahman%2C%20Abdullah%20bin%20Sulaiman%20Alobaid%20and%20Saud%20bin%20Sulaiman%20Alobaid%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Riyadh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2025%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20HealthTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20More%20than%20%2410%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Middle%20East%20Venture%20Partners%2C%20Gate%20Capital%2C%20Kafou%20Group%20and%20Fadeed%20Investment%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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)
More on Quran memorisation:
Unresolved crisis
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
BRIEF SCORES
England 228-7, 50 overs
N Sciver 51; J Goswami 3-23
India 219, 48.4 overs
P Raut 86, H Kaur 51; A Shrubsole 6-46
England won by nine runs
PROFILE
Name: Enhance Fitness
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 200
Amount raised: $3m
Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors
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
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Company%20Profile
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Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
Bullet%20Train
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