Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, seemingly never goes anywhere alone.
In the wood-panelled corridors and rooms of a Foreign Ministry think tank in Tehran, he is permanently surrounded by aides, in a never-ending cycle of handshakes with foreign officials.
A dapper figure in a well-cut suit with salt-and-pepper hair, Mr Araghchi is now leading Iran’s delegation in talks with the US. If – and it still is an if – the two sides reach an agreement, Washington could lift sanctions on Tehran in exchange for limitations on its nuclear programme.
But this is not his first time in the negotiating seat: he was an architect of the 2015 nuclear agreement, known as the JCPOA, which US President Donald Trump abandoned in his first term.
Mr Araghchi does not have an easy job. Talks have stumbled over the US's demand for zero uranium enrichment under any potential agreement, while Iran believes that it must retain the right to do so, with possible limitations.
Iran is also trying to negotiate with European countries to prevent the re-imposition of UN sanctions that could take place in October, amid what Tehran sees as more extreme positions in the West influenced by Iran hawks.
Trump administration officials, including Washington's senior nuclear negotiator, Steve Witkoff, have relatively little experience with such files.
“He [Araghchi] is a firefighter, actually, now,” Sasan Karimi, a former deputy vice-president for strategic affairs in the Iranian government, and a director at Nuclear Watch Network, a Tehran-based think tank, told The National.
Born into a wealthy carpet trading family in Tehran in 1962, Mr Araghchi served as a volunteer fighter in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war. It was a conflict that is rarely discussed in the West but one that shaped the lives of millions of Iraqis and Iranians, including Mr Araghchi.
"In the war, he had experience with being in the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps], and also got to know the behaviour and morals of a military environment,” Sayed Mohammad Ali Sayedhanaee, founder of the Tehran-based Nations Diplomacy think tank told The National. “Then he also got to know a diplomatic environment.”
A decade later, he studied at Kent University in the UK, where he obtained a doctoral degree in Islamic political thought. He then rose through the ranks of Iran’s Foreign Ministry, and served as ambassador to Japan and Finland before becoming deputy foreign minister.
After hardliner Ebrahim Raisi was elected as president and Hossein Amirabdollahian became foreign minister, Mr Araghchi joined the Strategic Council for Foreign Relations, a body that advises supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
When Mr Raisi and Mr Amirabdollahian were killed in a helicopter crash last year, and Masoud Pezeshkian became president, Mr Araghchi returned as foreign minister.
Mr Araghchi could manage the negotiations with less noise, and to gather all the forces to support him, and make the radical noises quieter
Sasan Karimi,
former deputy vice-president of Iran
Both to those familiar with his thinking, and publicly, Mr Araghchi is attempting to balance powers – both within Iran and globally.
“Our foreign policy is anchored in balance, realism and constructive pragmatism,” Mr Araghchi said in a speech at the Tehran Dialogue Forum, a recent conference hosted by the Foreign Ministry’s Institute for Political and International Studies.
With Mr Pezeshkian’s professional history dominated by domestic affairs, Mr Araghchi has room to work directly with Mr Khamenei on shaping Iran’s foreign policy.
More moderate, less conservative
A competent English speaker and familiar with the entire previous nuclear deal, he is well-placed to represent the country internationally, observers say. He is seeking to improve relations with both global powers and Middle Eastern neighbours, they add.
“In my opinion, Dr Araghchi's view is one of balancing the axes,” Mr Sayedhanaee said.
While the US has presented the ongoing nuclear talks as an opportunity for Iran, observers in Tehran say that the current political make-up of Iran’s government, including a seasoned Foreign Minister with negotiating experience, is a chance that the West should embrace, too.
“I think this is a golden window that this happens before this government [in Iran] comes to an end,” the researcher added.
Within Iran, Iranian observers say Mr Araghchi’s professional and personal background has enabled him to weigh the demands of the country’s multitude of political factions.
“From a political point of view, Araghchi is not a reformist,” Mr Karimi said, referring to a broad faction of Iran’s official politics which campaigns for a more open political system.
Mr Araghchi’s first wife was from a family involved in a prominent Islamist party, Motalefeh. But his time negotiating the first nuclear deal shaped his politics, too, Mr Karimi believes. “My feeling is that during JCPOA negotiations, he became more and more moderate and less conservative,” he said.
Still, his exposure to many different political currents has enabled him to appeal to a relatively broad base. His incremental, deliberate style has also helped him, observers say, to appeal to what Mr Karimi calls the “grey zone” of those who sit between more liberal factions and radical hardliners in Iran’s political spectrum.
“People are optimistic about him,” he said. “Because he could manage the negotiations with less noise, and gather all the forces to support him, and make the radical noises quieter.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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RESULTS
%3Cp%3E3.30pm%3A%20Al%20Maktoum%20Challenge%20Round%203%20%E2%80%93%20Group%201%20(PA)%20%2475%2C000%20(Dirt)%202%2C000m%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Jugurtha%20De%20Monlau%2C%20Pat%20Dobbs%20(jockey)%2C%20Jean-Claude%20Pecout%20(trainer)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E4.05pm%3A%20Dubai%20City%20Of%20Gold%20%E2%80%93%20Group%202%20(TB)%20%24250%2C000%20(Turf)%202%2C410m%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Global%20Storm%2C%20William%20Buick%2C%20Charlie%20Appleby%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E4.40pm%3A%20Burj%20Nahaar%20%E2%80%93%20Group%203%20(TB)%20%24250%2C000%20(D)%201%2C600m%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Discovery%20Island%2C%20James%20Doyle%2C%20Bhupat%20Seemar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E5.15pm%3A%20Nad%20Al%20Sheba%20Turf%20Sprint%20%E2%80%93%20Group%203%20(TB)%20%24250%2C000%20(T)%201%2C200m%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Al%20Dasim%2C%20Mickael%20Barzalona%2C%20George%20Boughey%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E5.50pm%3A%20Al%20Bastakiya%20%E2%80%93%20Listed%20(TB)%20%24170%2C000%20(D)%201%2C900m%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Go%20Soldier%20Go%2C%20Adrie%20de%20Vries%2C%20Fawzi%20Nass%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E6.25pm%3A%20Al%20Maktoum%20Challenge%20Round%203%20%E2%80%93%20Group%201%20(TB)%20%24450%2C000%20(D)%202%2C000m%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Salute%20The%20Soldier%2C%20Adrie%20de%20Vries%2C%20Fawzi%20Nass%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E7.10pm%3A%20Ras%20Al%20Khor%20%E2%80%93%20Conditions%20(TB)%20%24300%2C000%20(T)%201%2C400m%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Al%20Suhail%2C%20William%20Buick%2C%20Charlie%20Appleby%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E7.45pm%3A%20Jebel%20Hatta%20%E2%80%93%20Group%201%20(TB)%20%24350%2C000%20(T)%201%2C800m%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Alfareeq%2C%20Dane%20O%E2%80%99Neill%2C%20Charlie%20Appleby%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E8.20pm%3A%20Mahab%20Al%20Shimaal%20%E2%80%93%20Group%203%20(TB)%20%24250%2C000%20(D)%201%2C200m%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Sound%20Money%2C%20Mickael%20Barzalona%2C%20Bhupat%20Seemar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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)
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Specs
Price, base: Dhs850,000
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 591bhp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.3L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
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.
SHADOWS%20AND%20LIGHT%3A%20THE%20EXTRAORDINARY%20LIFE%20OF%20JAMES%20MCBEY
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Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
