Iran's Foreign Minister met Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, the South American country said, as the two allies seek to expand bilateral relations.
The countries, which are both subject to US sanctions, signed a deal on Wednesday for greater co-operation.
Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian will next head to Venezuela, Iran's Foreign Ministry said.
Mr Amirabdollahian held talks on Thursday with Mr Ortega who defended the rights of Iran and North Korea to develop nuclear weapons, saying Washington has no authority to restrict them.
“We don’t love atomic bombs … but what authority [do Western powers have] to want to prohibit Iran if it wants to make atomic bombs?” Mr Ortega asked with the Iranian minister by his side.
Mr Ortega said the West “don’t have the right to dictate who has and who doesn’t have atomic bombs”.
He said he would like “all atomic bombs to disappear”, starting with “the ones of the Yankees”, referring to the US.
Mr Amirabdollahian told Mr Ortega that Tehran’s nuclear programme has only peaceful aims.
This has been disputed by the US and other Western allies who signed an accord with Iran in 2015 to dismantle much of its nuclear programme.
Mr Amirabdollahian said Mr Ortega and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi have committed to taking steps to put into effect a bilateral agreement signed at the end of 2022.
In December, Mr Amirabdollahian and Nicaragua Foreign Minister Denis Moncada signed an agreement in Tehran that included energy issues among others, although no details were shared.
On Wednesday evening, the two countries additionally signed a memorandum of understanding “for cultural, scientific, health co-operation, co-operation also in the political field and co-operation in all spheres of common good”, said Nicaraguan Vice President Rosario Murillo, who is also Mr Ortega's wife.
Mr Amir Abdollahian told reporters on Thursday that “yesterday we had and also today we are going to have important agreements between both countries”.
“The support of the parliaments of both countries is fundamental to implement the bilateral agreements,” he said.
Iran's Foreign Ministry said commercial and economic co-operation is a “priority” for the two countries, while political relations are at an “excellent” level.
Iran also maintains strong ties with Venezuela and Cuba, which are likewise subject to US-led international sanctions and have been widely criticised for their authoritarian regimes.
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Fixtures
Wednesday January 8 –Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 – Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 – UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
PRO BASH
Thursday’s fixtures
6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors
10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters
Teams
Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.
Squad rules
All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.
Tournament rules
The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
More on Turkey's Syria offence
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
