The highly anticipated talks between the US and Iran are set to begin this weekend in Oman, after a battle of words that involved threats and promises.
Here are the most striking quotes compiled by The National from each side:
In Iran, where feelings are mixed over negotiating with the US over Tehran's nuclear programme, this is what officials said:
President Masoud Pezeshkian:
“Let [the US] come and invest – but we oppose plotting, regime change efforts, and destructive policies. Iran is not a place for conspiracies or espionage followed by assassinations. Investors are welcome to invest in our country."
Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei:
"What negotiations [should] we have, when we know that he will not abide? Therefore, the invitation for negotiations and stating it are to deceive the public opinion."
Mr Khamenei’s senior adviser Ali Larijani warned that Iran would acquire a nuclear weapon if attacked, saying that it is “dramatically” accelerating enrichment of uranium to 60 per cent purity – a short step from the 90 per cent needed to create nuclear weapons.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi:
"We face a significant wall of mistrust and harbour serious doubts about the sincerity of intentions, made worse by US insistence on resuming the 'maximum pressure' policy prior to any diplomatic interaction.
"Iran is ready to engage in earnest and with a view to seal a deal. We will meet in Oman on Saturday for indirect negotiations."
In the United States, President Trump has made it clear he wants to have direct negotiations with Iran, and threatened them when they expressed resistance.
US President Donald Trump:
"If they don't make a deal, there will be bombing. And it will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before."
However, after Iran agreed to talk in Oman, he said he anticipated a deal.
“We're having direct talks with Iran, and they've started. It'll go on Saturday, very big meeting, and we'll see what can happen. And I think everybody agrees that doing a deal would be preferable.”
Washington's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff:
As America's main contact person in the Oman talks, Mr Witkoff, says Mr Trump has the upper hand in military decisions and Iran should be pushing for a diplomatic solution. “Instead, it's him doing that.”
Deputy Special Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus:
“I think that we're in a hurry, so to speak, this time. Let's have some initial meetings and see if there's a way to find common ground to do what the President wants to do, which is to find a peaceful resolution and negotiation to these tough and difficult problems.”
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
Conservative MPs who have publicly revealed sending letters of no confidence
- Steve Baker
- Peter Bone
- Ben Bradley
- Andrew Bridgen
- Maria Caulfield
- Simon Clarke
- Philip Davies
- Nadine Dorries
- James Duddridge
- Mark Francois
- Chris Green
- Adam Holloway
- Andrea Jenkyns
- Anne-Marie Morris
- Sheryll Murray
- Jacob Rees-Mogg
- Laurence Robertson
- Lee Rowley
- Henry Smith
- Martin Vickers
- John Whittingdale
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Rating: Four stars
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Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
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Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson and Jackson Bird.
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UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
The five pillars of Islam
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
