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.
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
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier
UAE results
Beat China by 16 runs
Lost to Thailand by 10 wickets
Beat Nepal by five runs
Beat Hong Kong by eight wickets
Beat Malaysia by 34 runs
Standings (P, W, l, NR, points)
1. Thailand 5 4 0 1 9
2. UAE 5 4 1 0 8
3. Nepal 5 2 1 2 6
4. Hong Kong 5 2 2 1 5
5. Malaysia 5 1 4 0 2
6. China 5 0 5 0 0
Final
Thailand v UAE, Monday, 7am
The specs: 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali
Price, base / as tested Dh207,846 / Dh220,000
Engine 6.2L V8
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque 624Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined 13.5L / 100km
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
My Cat Yugoslavia by Pajtim Statovci
Pushkin Press
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
McLaren GT specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 630Nm
Price: Dh875,000
On sale: now
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
