Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is dragging the US into another "disaster" in the Middle East, Iran's Foreign Minister has said, claiming he is attempting to disrupt nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Abbas Araghchi accused the Israeli leader of "directly meddling within the US government" ahead of a fourth round of talks between Iran and the US over Tehran's nuclear programme. Meetings were supposed to take place last Saturday but were postponed at the last minute. They follow years of diplomatic impasse between the two nations over the issue.
Mr Araghchi has previously accused Israel of seeking to derail the talks. The Israeli Prime Minister has rejected the idea of limiting and regulating Tehran's uranium enrichment programme through a deal with the US. He has been pushing for the full dismantlement of its nuclear infrastructure, fearing Tehran is seeking to manufacture a bomb.
"Netanyahu is attempting to brazenly dictate what President [Donald] Trump can and cannot do in his diplomacy with Iran," Mr Araghchi said on X on Monday.
"The world has also learnt how Netanyahu is directly meddling within the US government to drag it into another disaster in our region."
Mr Araghchi said a nuclear deal is "achievable and there is only one path to achieve it: diplomacy based on mutual respect and mutual interests".
A new date and time for the fourth round of negotiations has yet to be announced. Oman, which mediated earlier sessions, has said the talks, which were supposed to take place in Rome on May 3, had been postponed for “logistical reasons”.
Last week Iran accused the US of “contradictory behaviour and provocative statements” after Washington warned Tehran of consequences for continuing to back Yemen's Houthi rebels. Washington also imposed new, oil-related sanctions on Iran.
Under a 2015 deal with world powers, Tehran agreed to limit its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. But the agreement collapsed in 2018 when Mr Trump removed the US from the deal and intensified sanctions on Tehran. Iran has since produced higher-grade nuclear material.
Western powers suspect Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons, while Tehran says the programme is for civilian purposes.
Since returning to office for a second term, Mr Trump has threatened to bomb Iran if no agreement is reached with his administration to resolve the long-standing dispute.
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Brief scores:
Day 1
Toss: South Africa, field first
Pakistan (1st innings) 177: Sarfraz 56, Masood 44; Olivier 4-48
South Africa (1st innings) 123-2: Markram 78; Masood 1-4
Florida: The critical Sunshine State
Though mostly conservative, Florida is usually always “close” in presidential elections. In most elections, the candidate that wins the Sunshine State almost always wins the election, as evidenced in 2016 when Trump took Florida, a state which has not had a democratic governor since 1991.
Joe Biden’s campaign has spent $100 million there to turn things around, understandable given the state’s crucial 29 electoral votes.
In 2016, Mr Trump’s democratic rival Hillary Clinton paid frequent visits to Florida though analysts concluded that she failed to appeal towards middle-class voters, whom Barack Obama won over in the previous election.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
More coverage from the Future Forum
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
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.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The five pillars of Islam
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
more from Janine di Giovanni
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
