Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has welcomed initial steps taken in Oman towards re-establishing a nuclear deal with the United States.
In a statement, Mr Khamenei said the talks must be "pursued carefully", adding that the red lines for both sides are clear, without elaborating. Although Mr Khamenei called the indirect negotiations "good", he also said he is "neither optimistic or pessimistic".
A first round of indirect talks took place in Muscat last weekend, with a second round planned soon. Before departing for Oman, US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff told The Wall Street Journal that Washington is open to "compromise".
Shortly after the two-and-a-half hour initial talks concluded in Muscat, the White House released a statement calling them "positive and constructive", but acknowledged the presence of "complicated" sticking points. It said the issues that need to be resolved “are very complicated”.
The two sides agreed to meet again on Saturday. There were mixed reports about the location of the next meeting, with Rome being mentioned as a possibility, but in a statement on Tuesday Iran clarified that they will again be held in Muscat.
Ahead of the possible return of sanctions on Iran when "termination day" of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is reached in October, Mr Khamenei called for the improvement of domestic trade. "If we effectively use our domestic capacities, we can make the country invulnerable to sanctions. Then if sanctions are imposed, the country can completely get itself out of any difficulty," he added.
US President Donald Trump, who unilaterally took the US out of the 2015 deal, gave Iran two months to reach an agreement or risk military action. The US said it wants to dismantle Iran's nuclear programme entirely.
A day after the first round of talks in Oman, Mr Trump said he expected a decision about the deal to be made "very quickly". The US has not confirmed whether the talks are set to take place in Muscat as stated by Iran, nor if they will be direct or via Oman as a mediator.
From Conquest to Deportation
Jeronim Perovic, Hurst
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY
Starting at 10am:
Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang
Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)
Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)
Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera
Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
Read more from Kareem Shaheen
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
Liverpool v Bayern Munich, midnight (Wednesday), BeIN Sports
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to turn your property into a holiday home
- Ensure decoration and styling – and portal photography – quality is high to achieve maximum rates.
- Research equivalent Airbnb homes in your location to ensure competitiveness.
- Post on all relevant platforms to reach the widest audience; whether you let personally or via an agency know your potential guest profile – aiming for the wrong demographic may leave your property empty.
- Factor in costs when working out if holiday letting is beneficial. The annual DCTM fee runs from Dh370 for a one-bedroom flat to Dh1,200. Tourism tax is Dh10-15 per bedroom, per night.
- Check your management company has a physical office, a valid DTCM licence and is licencing your property and paying tourism taxes. For transparency, regularly view your booking calendar.
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
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Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
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Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
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Price: From Dh117,059
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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