Changes requested by Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi prompted the cancellation on Monday of his participation in a nuclear policy conference in Washington.
Shortly before Mr Araghchi's scheduled online appearance at the event, a representative for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told those in attendance that at the last minute, the Iranian team had asked to cut back the question-and-answer portion.
“Unfortunately, the Foreign Minister’s team subsequently requested changes to the previously agreed format, which would have severely curtailed the ability of the moderator and the audience to question the Foreign Minister,” the Carnegie International Policy Conference said in an email elaborating on the decision.
“As a result, Carnegie made the decision not to proceed with the session.”
In a statement to The National, Iran’s mission to the UN accused the Carnegie Endowment of trying to “alter the format of the keynote into a debate”.
In prepared remarks seen by The National, Mr Araghchi was to have said that Iran’s peaceful nuclear programme has been "mischaracterised and misunderstood due to wrong perceptions and politically motivated narratives".
"Such narratives have shaped misguided policies and hindered opportunities for meaningful diplomacy," he was to say in the undelivered speech. "I am cautiously optimistic that this toxic dynamic may be about to change."
He suggests that US President Donald Trump recognise past policy failures in the Middle East, which he said had cost American taxpayers "trillions of dollars ... with zero gains for the United States".
Iran has long been willing to engage with Washington on the basis of "mutual respect and equal standing", he says, including recognition of its rights as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to produce nuclear fuel for power plants.
Iran agreed to what he calls "the most intrusive inspection regime the world has ever seen" under the 2015 nuclear deal. "We have made abundantly clear that we have nothing to hide" he adds.
Mr Araghchi says that whatever agreement may be concluded should be pillared on guaranteeing Iran’s economic benefits coupled with robust monitoring and verification, ensuring the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme.
“The scope of negotiations must also be clear; negotiations should remain focused solely on removal of sanctions and the nuclear issue,” he says. “In a region as rough and volatile as ours, Iran will never put its security up for negotiation.”
Mr Araghchi was not on the original list of speakers for 2025 Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference, but was added on Saturday.
In place of Mr Aragchi, Carnegie bumped up a panel discussion about nuclear policy, Ukraine and Russia.
Several hours after the Iranian Foreign Minister was to speak at the event, he attempted to explain the entire ordeal on X in a lengthy post.
"I am accustomed to tough questions from journalists and ordinary concerned citizens alike. But turning my keynote address into an open Q&A would either turn the event into a public negotiation, which I am not willing to countenance, or be unsatisfactory for an audience probably looking for details on where the talks might go," he wrote.
"I regret that my intended host was neither cognizant nor considerate of these sensitive dynamics."
Mr Araghchi's appearance at the Washington event would have come as talks between Iran and the US on Tehran's nuclear programme gain momentum following a series of meetings in Rome.
For years, Washington and Tehran have been at odds over Iran's nuclear activities. The US fears Iran is working towards building a nuclear weapon, but Tehran claims its programme is for peaceful purposes.
The second round of negotiations led by Mr Araghchi and US envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff ended on a positive note in the Italian capital.
The Oman-brokered talks lasted for four hours and officials declared it a “good meeting” that yielded progress.
On Sunday, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi thanked Mr Araghchi and Mr Witkoff “for their highly constructive approach” to the discussions.
“These talks are gaining momentum and now even the unlikely is possible,” Mr Al Busaidi said on X.
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.
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
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Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
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Price: From Dh149,900
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
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Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
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Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
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Final: June 1, Madrid
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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
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
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Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
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Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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.
BMW M5 specs
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Uefa Nations League Group B:
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FIXTURES
West Asia Premiership
Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Knights Eagles
Dubai Tigers v Bahrain
Jebel Ali Dragons v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
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Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
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Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
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Company%C2%A0profile
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ENGLAND TEAM
Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Joe Root (captain), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Craig Overton, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
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4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
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AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
UAE Premiership
Results
Dubai Exiles 24-28 Jebel Ali Dragons
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 43-27 Dubai Hurricanes
Final
Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons, Friday, March 29, 5pm at The Sevens, Dubai
