Europe's big three of France, the UK and Germany appeared set to kick-start a UN process to reimpose sanctions on Iran on Thursday.
Meetings on the move were held two days after a round of diplomatic talks in Geneva reportedly failed to lead to a breakthrough.
The mechanism, known as snapback, would reinstate six suspended UN Security Council resolutions on Iran, which has threatened to withdraw from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty should it be triggered.
Inspectors from the UN's nuclear agency entered Iran this week for the first time since a 12-day war with Israel in June. But Iran said this did not amount to any "final agreement on co-operation" with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
With the three European countries - known as the E3 - set to announce a decision as soon as Thursday, officials said Iran could still provide commitments within 30 days over its nuclear programme that will convince the countries to defer concrete action.
"If the E3 proceed, it's not a process without off-ramps over the next 30 days, but it would hinge on breakthroughs that haven't been made in the weeks leading up to triggering," Naysan Rafati, senior Iran analyst at Crisis Group, told The National.
The talks in Geneva ended without a conclusive result but the Europeans were continuing to seek a diplomatic solution, a German Foreign Ministry representative said. "We remain open to dialogue with the Iranian side," they said.
Iran's deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, who attended talks in Geneva on Tuesday, urged the trio to "make the right choice, and give diplomacy time and space."
European officials have not publicly stated which day they would trigger the snapback but have repeatedly said they were ready to do so before the end of August. They will lose that ability in mid-October as a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran expires.
“European leaders are nearing a decision on starting the snapback process against Iran. It would take a diplomatic miracle to prevent that from happening," an Axios reporter quoted an unnamed senior EU diplomat as saying. "Triggering the snapback process would not mean the end of diplomacy. The E3 leaders remain open to engaging with Iran in the weeks until the UN sanctions will come into effect."
France, the UK and Germany, collectively known as the E3, believe Iran is in breach of the 2015 nuclear deal, with its uranium stockpiles representing more than 40 times the agreed limit despite Iranian insistence that its atomic programme is peaceful. The E3 also wants Tehran to re-engage in talks with the US and resume full co-operation with the IAEA.
The agency's inspectors left Iran after Israel launched its unprecedented attack on June 13, striking nuclear and military sites, as well as residential areas, killing more than 1,000 people. It was followed by further attacks by the US.
The E3 received no response from Iran after suggesting last month during talks in Istanbul that the nuclear deal be extended by six months to allow more time for negotiations.
"There is certainly a view among some in Iran that the impact of snapback is likely to be marginal – US sanctions are more economically impactful and Iran's allies at the Security Council could try to limit the effectiveness of restored UN restrictions," Mr Rafati said.
"That view is reinforced by a sense that even if it were to agree to the E3's proposals, the possibility of snapback would only be deferred. But the fact that Tehran has engaged the E3 in hopes of avoiding snapback also shows that the impact cannot be ignored: the sanctions are broad and binding on UN members and can still still have a psychological and practical impact."
Russia has meanwhile circulated a draft at the UN Security Council also calling for a six-month extension but on the condition that snapback cannot be triggered during that period. Russia, which takes the helm of the UNSC in October, is a close ally of Iran, whose sole civilian power plant in Bushehr is fuelled by uranium imported from Russia.
More on Palestine-Israeli relations
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
50-man Royal Rumble
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho
John Cena v Triple H
Matches to be announced
WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Raw Tag Team Championship, United States Championship and the Cruiserweight Championship are all due to be defended
Sweet%20Tooth
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The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v tba
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
MORE ON TURKEY'S SYRIA OFFENCE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Superliminal%20
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Story of 2017-18 so far and schedule to come
Roll of Honour
Who has won what so far in the West Asia rugby season?
Western Clubs Champions League
Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons
Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup
Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners up: Dubai Exiles
Fixtures
Friday
West Asia Cup final
5pm, Bahrain (6pm UAE time), Bahrain v Dubai Exiles
West Asia Trophy final
3pm, The Sevens, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Sports City Eagles
Friday, April 13
UAE Premiership final
5pm, Al Ain, Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Mobile phone packages comparison
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Uefa Nations League
League A:
Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Spain, France, England, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Iceland, Croatia, Netherlands
League B:
Austria, Wales, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Turkey
League C:
Hungary, Romania, Scotland, Slovenia, Greece, Serbia, Albania, Norway, Montenegro, Israel, Bulgaria, Finland, Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania
League D:
Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Liechtenstein, Malta, Andorra, Kosovo, San Marino, Gibraltar
