The second round of talks between the US and Iran in Rome on Saturday could lead to a framework for future negotiations on an agreement to curb Tehran's nuclear programme, analysts told The National.
The talks, which are being mediated by Oman, began last Saturday in Muscat after US President Donald Trump vowed to fully exert his “maximum pressure” policy on Iran. Tehran is seeking relief from economic sanctions that have severely affected its economy.
“Both sides will try to establish what the baseline for the talks are and, hopefully, set up a framework from which they can probably reach an initial deal,” Farzan Sabet, managing researcher at the Geneva Graduate Institute, told The National.
They can then “set out the guidelines for negotiating a longer-term agreement which would, on the one hand, restrict Iran's nuclear programme and, on the other, provide a large measure of sanctions relief”, he said.
Western countries including the US have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, but Tehran has consistently denied the claims, insisting that its programme is for peaceful civilian purposes.
Pessimism from Tehran
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday confirmed that he would lead his country's delegation at the talks in Rome, while Mr Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to once again lead the US contingent.
“Although we have serious doubts about the intentions and motivations of the American side, in any case we will participate in tomorrow's negotiations,” Mr Araghchi said at a press conference in Moscow after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
“If there is similar willingness on the other side, and they refrain from making unreasonable and unrealistic demands, I believe reaching an agreement is likely. We are fully prepared to pursue a peaceful resolution for Iran's peaceful nuclear programme,” he said.
Mr Lavrov said Russia was willing to help the two sides to reach a deal.
Mr Araghchi said Iran was receiving “contradictory and inconsistent” messages from Washington.
Mr Witkoff said in a post on X this week that Iran “must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponisation programme”. Only hours before that, he had said a new deal could allow Iran to enrich uranium up to 3.67 per cent – the limit sufficient for civilian use set in the 2015 nuclear deal that expires later this year.
Mr Araghchi responded by saying the “issue of enrichment is non-negotiable”.
Iran began breaching that limit in 2019, a year after Mr Trump, in his first term as president, pulled the US out of the 2015 pact, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which eased sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear activity.
Tehran has now increased its enrichment to 60 per cent, a short technical step from producing weapons-grade uranium, and has stockpiled enough highly enriched uranium to produce a nuclear weapon, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. Its director general, Rafael Grossi, visited Tehran on Wednesday and held talks with Mr Araghchi and Mohammad Eslami, the head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran.
“We know we don't have much time. So this is why I'm here. This is why I'm in contact with the United States as well,” Mr Grossi told Iranian media.
Joost Hiltermann, programme director for Middle East and North Africa at the Crisis Group, said there was a lack of consensus in Washington about what its approach should be, which could affect the outcome of the talks.
“Their differences are on public display. If that continues during the second round of talks, then the outcome can't be good,” he told The National.
“Iran has indicated what its red lines are. If the US rejects these, then the talks will end without result and the possibility of war will increase dramatically.”
Who has the upper hand?
Speaking at the White House on Friday, Mr Trump reiterated his view that Iran “can’t have a nuclear weapon”.
If Iran developed a nuclear bomb, “your life will be in great danger”, he told reporters
The US President has taken a carrot and stick approach to dealing with Iran, calling for a diplomatic deal while also voicing plans for a military attack with “bombing the likes of which they have never seen”.
He has said “Iran is going to be in great danger” if the talks are unsuccessful.
“The US has the upper hand for now because of the impact of sanctions and because it can wield the stick of superior military power,” Mr Hiltermann said.
However, “attacking Iran's nuclear programme will not necessarily bring down the Islamic Republic, and may cause only a temporary setback to the nuclear programme and indeed harden the leadership's determination to proceed”, he said.
Seyed Emamian, assistant professor at Tehran Polytechnic University and a founder of the Governance and Policy Think Tank, said that to increase the chances of reaching a deal “both sides should avoid using destructive language and extend the scope of the talks beyond nuclear militarisation”.
“Building upon the scope of the JCPOA experience, Iran seems uninterested in getting lost in the mess of sophisticated US-sanction machinery. Instead, Iran is keen to safeguard a certain level of economic gains out of any likely deal," Mr Emamian said in comments to the Italian Institute for International Political Studies.
Mr Sabet pointed out that Iran was experiencing “a lot of domestic economic issues, some of which are linked to sanctions, some of which are linked to broader issues of governance, mismanagement and corruption”.
“I'm still confident that it's within the power of the two sides to reach an initial deal that would put some restrictions and scale back the current advanced state of the Iranian nuclear programme,” he said.
The specs
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HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
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AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
War 2
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
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- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
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Transmission: 10-speed auto
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Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
Jetour T1 specs
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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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Four stars
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