Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday said a US proposal for a nuclear deal was against Tehran's national interests, and that the country would not abandon uranium enrichment.
"Independence means not waiting for the green light from America and the likes of America," Mr Khamenei said. The proposal was "100 per cent against" the ideals of the 1979 Islamic revolution, he added.
Iran will not bow to pressure from America to dismantle its nuclear programme, President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday, after Washington reiterated that its maximum pressure campaign remains in "full force" despite dialogue aimed at reaching a deal.
"They say you must dismantle everything you have, but no free human being will bow to oppression and injustice", Mr Pezeshkian said in a televised speech.
The US wants Iran to cease enriching uranium under a possible new deal, but Tehran says its programme is for civilian purposes and it has the right to continue.
Five rounds of talks have taken place since April 12. The US has submitted a proposal but Iran has yet to formally respond.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the proposal submitted through mediator Oman has "many ambiguities and questions". Tehran would respond soon, he added.
"The written proposal we received from the United States contains many ambiguities and questions; many issues in this proposal are not clear," Mr Araghchi said while on a visit to Lebanon.
The White House has described the US proposal as “acceptable” and in Iran's “best interest”.
"We will not ask anyone for permission to continue enriching uranium in Iran. However, we are ready to take steps to ensure that this enrichment will not lead to the production of nuclear weapons," Mr Araghchi said.
US officials have said that Iran could produce weapons-grade uranium in less than two weeks if it chose to, and has the capacity to build a bomb within months.
The New York Times reported on Tuesday that the Trump administration was proposing an interim plan that would allow low levels of enrichment while working towards a more detailed agreement with other countries aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
According to media reports, the US proposal also suggests the creation of a regional consortium to produce nuclear power. The idea of a regional group to handle Iran's enrichment had previously been floated during negotiations that led to the 2015 nuclear deal.
Iran has rejected the idea of enriching uranium elsewhere but is reportedly open to the idea of a regional uranium enrichment consortium based in the country, Axios reported on Tuesday.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The five pillars of Islam
UAE's role in anti-extremism recognised
General John Allen, President of the Brookings Institution research group, commended the role the UAE has played in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
He told a Globsec debate of the UAE’s "hugely outsized" role in the fight against Isis.
"It’s trite these days to say that any country punches above its weight, but in every possible way the Emirates did, both militarily, and very importantly, the UAE was extraordinarily helpful on getting to the issue of violent extremism," he said.
He also noted the impact that Hedayah, among others in the UAE, has played in addressing violent extremism.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Abdul Jabar Qahraman was meeting supporters in his campaign office in the southern Afghan province of Helmand when a bomb hidden under a sofa exploded on Wednesday.
The blast in the provincial capital Lashkar Gah killed the Afghan election candidate and at least another three people, Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak told reporters. Another three were wounded, while three suspects were detained, he said.
The Taliban – which controls much of Helmand and has vowed to disrupt the October 20 parliamentary elections – claimed responsibility for the attack.
Mr Qahraman was at least the 10th candidate killed so far during the campaign season, and the second from Lashkar Gah this month. Another candidate, Saleh Mohammad Asikzai, was among eight people killed in a suicide attack last week. Most of the slain candidates were murdered in targeted assassinations, including Avtar Singh Khalsa, the first Afghan Sikh to run for the lower house of the parliament.
The same week the Taliban warned candidates to withdraw from the elections. On Wednesday the group issued fresh warnings, calling on educational workers to stop schools from being used as polling centres.
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
More on Quran memorisation:
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
The five pillars of Islam
More on Quran memorisation:
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
