Iran's Foreign Ministry has said negotiations are ongoing to secure a prisoner exchange between Tehran and Washington despite US denials of a deal.
The US has denied Iranian claims of an imminent prisoner swap days after jailed dual national Siamak Namazi appealed to President Joe Biden to bring him home from Tehran's Evin prison.
“As has been said many times, negotiations through intermediaries have continued and are ongoing,” said the ministry spokesman Naser Kanani.
An agreement on a prisoner exchange was signed last March, he said, but a final resolution was delayed by the US, who tied it to continuing talks to revive the now-defunct nuclear deal.
“We are ready for this to be done as a humanitarian issue,” said Mr Kanani.
“The onus lies with the US.
“If the American sides take a realistic approach, the prisoner exchange can be done.”
Iran has sought for decades to free Iranians held in the US prisons.
Washington has dismissed rumours of the exchange as a “cruel lie” which only adds to the suffering of families with loved ones behind bars.
Tehran itself has jailed dozens of foreign and dual nationals since the collapse of the nuclear deal, with relatives and human rights groups accusing authorities of using them as bargaining chips against the West.
Most are detained without charge or accused of espionage, including Mr Namazi, who was found guilty of spying in 2016 and handed a ten-year sentence.
Mr Namazi appealed directly to the president for help, speaking to CNN from Evin prison last week.
“I desperately need President [Joe] Biden to finally hear us out, to finally hear our cry for help and bring us home,” he said.
Belgium's constitutional court recently upheld a treaty with Iran which would also pave the way for a prisoner exchange, raising hopes for detained aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele.
The Belgian national has been held in solitary confinement for more than a year and was sentenced to more than 40 years in prison in January after he was found guilty of espionage — condemned as “fake charges” by Brussels.
Speaking on the nuclear deal, Iran has also said it will need “verifiable guarantees” from the US before another agreement — echoing previous demands for a complete lift on sanctions to return to a deal.
Tehran needs such guarantees “due to the history of the American government's non-compliance with its obligations,” said Mr Kanani.
Signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal have failed to revive the accord despite multiple rounds of talks in Vienna.
Iran has demanded a full lift on sanctions to return to the negotiating table, a condition the US is not willing to meet.
Iran is capable of making the material for a nuclear bomb in just 12 days, Washington warned earlier this month, saying Iran has made “remarkable” progress since the breakdown of the accord.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Racecard
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How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
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Company%20profile
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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)
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
Company%C2%A0profile
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More on Quran memorisation:
T20 World Cup Qualifier
October 18 – November 2
Opening fixtures
Friday, October 18
ICC Academy: 10am, Scotland v Singapore, 2.10pm, Netherlands v Kenya
Zayed Cricket Stadium: 2.10pm, Hong Kong v Ireland, 7.30pm, Oman v UAE
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Darius D’Silva, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Junaid Siddique, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Waheed Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Zahoor Khan
Players out: Mohammed Naveed, Shaiman Anwar, Qadeer Ahmed
Players in: Junaid Siddique, Darius D’Silva, Waheed Ahmed
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
UAE%20Warriors%2033%20Results
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
liverpool youngsters
Ki-Jana Hoever
The only one of this squad to have scored for Liverpool, the versatile Dutchman impressed on his debut at Wolves in January. He can play right-back, centre-back or in midfield.
Herbie Kane
Not the most prominent H Kane in English football but a 21-year-old Bristolian who had a fine season on loan at Doncaster last year. He is an all-action midfielder.
Luis Longstaff
Signed from Newcastle but no relation to United’s brothers Sean and Matty, Luis is a winger. An England Under-16 international, he helped Liverpool win the FA Youth Cup last season.
Yasser Larouci
An 18-year-old Algerian-born winger who can also play as a left-back, Larouci did well on Liverpool’s pre-season tour until an awful tackle by a Sevilla player injured him.
Adam Lewis
Steven Gerrard is a fan of his fellow Scouser, who has been on Liverpool’s books since he was in the Under-6s, Lewis was a midfielder, but has been converted into a left-back.
'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
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