The US and Iran will resume talks on Friday on a potential nuclear deal, it has been announced, even as Tehran says it will never stop enriching uranium.
A fifth round of negotiations will take place in Rome, said Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi, whose country has been mediating talks. Pressure is mounting as Iran ramps up enrichment to near weapons-grade levels, and US President Donald Trump hints at military action if talks collapse.
The aim of any deal would be to prevent Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon in exchange for the US lifting sanctions. The future of the negotiations had been in doubt as Iran said it was “reviewing” whether to take part in a fifth meeting.
Mr Trump said while visiting Saudi Arabia last week that the offer of a deal with Iran “will not last forever”. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also expressed doubt this week over whether nuclear talks would lead to a new agreement.
Qatar said on Tuesday it is working to bridge the remaining gaps to keep a deal alive, while CNN reported there was US intelligence suggesting preparations for a strike by Israel.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said earlier on Wednesday that Iran was willing to negotiate to “defend the rights of the Iranian people”, but rejected “excessive demands and rhetoric at the table”, according to state television.
“I have said it before, and I repeat it again: uranium enrichment in Iran will continue – with or without an agreement,” he said.
Iran says it wants to develop nuclear technology for peaceful use, including by enriching uranium. The US has sent mixed signals on whether it will demand “zero enrichment” in exchange for a deal and sanctions relief.
During a rare visit to Tehran by The National this week, regime officials told of “serious problems” with the talks.
“With zero enrichment, we don't have a deal,” one senior Iranian official said. “But if the goal is no nuclear weapons, we can have a deal.”
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Your rights as an employee
The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.
The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.
If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.
Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.
The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.
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