Talks to de-escalate Iran’s nuclear programme resumed in Geneva on Friday with western officials telling The National that the regime appeared “eager” to engage in discussions.
With Tehran still reeling from its proxy Hezbollah’s weakened status following the war in Lebanon, and from Israel’s air strikes last month, it appears that the new government under President Masoud Pezeshkian is keen to negotiate.
That will become even more urgent when US president-elect Donald Trump returns to office in January with Israeli security sources disclosing to The National that the country believes he will “sign off” an attack on Iran’s nuclear sites.
The prospect of a strike was part of “planning for a variety of scenarios,” a western official also said, adding that “Iran is feeling the pressure that ultimately a Trump presidency would potentially be very, very bad for them”.
The head of MI6, Britain's foreign intelligence service, also stated on Friday that Iran's nuclear ambitions posed a major global security threat.
“Iran's allied militias across the Middle East have suffered serious blows,” Richard Moore said in a speech in Paris. “But the regime's nuclear ambitions continue to threaten all of us.”
While Iran widely publicised the meeting of its senior nuclear negotiator, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, with top diplomats from Britain, Germany and France, known as the E3, the western countries were surprised by the amplification of the conference.
“It’s the Iranians who have brought this to everybody's attention,” the western official said. “This is not necessarily something we were proactively briefing about and it’s the Iranians who frankly made it something more than it is.”
It is understood that Mr Pezeshkian’s new team is looking to reset its communications strategy with the West, although it is unclear how much support he will have from the dominant Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to draw down the nuclear programme.
Following the meeting a senior Iranian diplomat disclosed that more dialogue would occur “in the near future” adding that the discussions had been “candid”.
That concurred with the western official who disclosed that E3 officials would state Iran’s nuclear programme was “unacceptable and destabilising” and that the discussion would be “an opportunity for us to criticise them over their support for Russia's war in Ukraine”.
“We are very clear that what Iran is doing in support of Russia is a threat to European security,” he added.
But Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, who was also involved in the talks, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the country was “firmly committed to pursue the interests of our people and our preference is the path of dialogue and engagement”.
However, Mr Gharibabadi, following a meeting with EU diplomats in Geneva on Thursday, also argued that “Europe has failed to be a serious player” on the nuclear issue, after Mr Trump broke off the nuclear agreement in 2018 and unilaterally reimposed sanctions on Tehran.
He also urged the EU to “abandon its self-centred and irresponsible behaviour” on a range of issues including the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
A Whitehall source stated that Friday’s meeting demonstrated that the E3 countries felt “we need to be able to continue to engage with Iran because when you sit down across the table they feel the pressure”.
But also by engaging with Iran they could draw them away from the broadly held view that the country was seen as a "malign influence" in the Middle East, he added.
HOW TO WATCH
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
The biog
First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work
Company%20profile
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Brief scores
Day 1
Toss England, chose to bat
England, 1st innings 357-5 (87 overs): Root 184 not out, Moeen 61 not out, Stokes 56; Philander 3-46
Awar Qalb
Director: Jamal Salem
Starring: Abdulla Zaid, Joma Ali, Neven Madi and Khadija Sleiman
Two stars
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
Monster
Directed by: Anthony Mandler
Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington
3/5
THE BIO:
Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.
Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.
Personal motto: Believe it and you can achieve it.
SHAITTAN
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
