Since returning to power in January, US President Donald Trump has thrown the world into confusion with contradictory moves – issuing ultimatums and deadlines only to walk them back.
This was the case on in the early hours of Sunday morning, too, when he attacked three of Iran’s nuclear facilities after having earlier announced that he would give two weeks’ time for the ongoing Israel-Iran war to be resolved diplomatically.
Mr Trump had usually been averse to wars and their consequences. He has often been influenced by the last person to interact with him, whoever that might be, particularly if he or she offered him a political safety net. Yet on Saturday, he shed the pejorative tag “Taco” – or “Trump Always Chickens Out” – which he earned for his on-again, off-again tariff war with the rest of the world.
The US strikes have left the international community unable to predict what its President will do next on the Iran issue, and whether he even has an exit strategy.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, faces a different predicament. The US, no matter what Mr Trump chooses, is more or less capable of weathering the fallout. Iran, on other hand, will find itself teetering on the edge of devastation if Mr Khamenei widens the war to defend his establishment at the country’s expense.
So who now has the initiative?
Peering into Mr Trump’s mind to understand how he thinks is a near impossible task. He is convinced that the art of negotiation and inducements can still help convince Tehran to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missiles programmes, as well as its doctrine of expansionism, and make peace. Deep down, the US President appears to believe that if he were to sit face to face with Mr Khamenei, he could persuade him to strike a deal.
Mr Trump’s demand that Iran surrender unconditionally appeared to have stirred the establishment’s instinct, making it react viscerally to what it views as humiliating rhetoric. And so in the run-up to the strikes, Tehran made it clear that if Washington enters the conflict directly, all options would be on the table – from closing the Strait of Hormuz to activating its armed proxies in the region and attacking American interests. It also boasted of hitting Israeli cities with its missiles and insisted that nothing can bring down the establishment in Tehran.
Yet it had to take a step back, particularly after concluding that neither Russia nor China were prepared to stand with it, despite their security pacts. It sought help from the European troika of France, Germany and the UK – countries that were involved in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal – to end the war. But the talks involving Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi failed to make a breakthrough.
French President Emmanuel Macron floated a proposal involving three pillars: curbing Iran’s nuclear programme, its ballistic missiles programme and its funding of regional armed groups. Those pillars still stand, should Mr Khamenei accept the diplomatic exit from this war.
Mr Macron’s statement marked a shift in the framework of the US-Iran bilateral talks led by Mr Araghchi and Mr Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, brokered by Oman, which focused solely on the nuclear issue. Those five rounds misled Iran – or Iran misled itself – into believing it had succeeded in excluding missiles and proxies from the negotiations. But Israel’s pre-emptive military actions aborted the chances of Mr Trump and his envoy being ensnared by Iran’s negotiating tactics.
The hardening of public positions on all sides suggests there is little room for Iranian concessions on any of these issues. Yet what might unfold behind the scenes could force Iran’s leaders into making trade-offs in exchange for silent guarantees that they stay in power, effectively thwarting Israel’s effort to end their rule.
Mr Khamenei now stands in the shadow of his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who once said he had to drink from a poisoned chalice when he agreed to a ceasefire that ended Iran’s eight-year war with Iraq in 1988 for the sake of regime preservation. What does Mr Khamenei intend to do to prevent its collapse?
Will he decide that inflicting damage on Israel’s infrastructure and rousing Iranian pride are both key to its survival? Or is a deal on the horizon after the US stepped in as a direct actor in this war? In other words, will the internal divisions between hardliners and reformists in the Islamic Republic lead to the conclusion that reforming the establishment’s doctrine is the only means to ensure its survival?
The Israel-Iran war of attrition has already cost both sides, and each is boasting of having inflicted serious damage on the other. Israel has made it clear that this is Mr Trump’s war as much as its own. The losses Israel has suffered have made it unwilling to continue serving as a proxy in the US-led war. This is a qualitative shift in the equation.
Perhaps this is now a duel between Mr Trump and Mr Khamenei. Or perhaps this is a war between the extremist ideologies that govern both Iran and Israel, and which the US seeks to tame. Perhaps it’s both.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects any fundamental solution in the Middle East because his hard-right government’s ideology precludes accepting a Palestinian state, just as the ideology of the Islamic Republic precludes a normal Middle East as long as it pursues Iranian hegemony enforced by armed proxies.
We will know soon if Iran’s rulers are genuinely ready to compromise and secure a deal to preserve their rule, or if the hardliners within effectively embrace existential self-harm. Either way, unlike in the past, today the tactic of buying time has diminishing returns for the Islamic Republic.
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.
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The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Racecard
5pm: Al Maha Stables – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m
6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m
6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m
7pm: The President’s Cup – Group 1 (PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m
7.30pm: The President’s Cup – Listed (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m
The National's picks
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
9.30pm: Forever Young
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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)
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
Results
4pm: Al Bastakiya – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
4.35pm: Dubai City Of Gold – Group 2 (TB) $228,000 (Turf) 2,410m; Winner: Walton Street, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
5.10pm: Mahab Al Shimaal – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Canvassed, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Midnight Sands, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
6.20pm: Jebel Hatta – Group 1 (TB) $260,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Lord Glitters, Daniel Tudhope, David O’Meara
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 – Group 1 (TB) $390,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
7.30pm: Nad Al Sheba – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Final Song, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
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India squads
T20: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Krunal Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, Deepak Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Shivam Dube, Shardul Thakur
Test: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant
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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)
Copa del Rey final
Sevilla v Barcelona, Saturday, 11.30pm (UAE), match on Bein Sports
The five pillars of Islam
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
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
The years Ramadan fell in May
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.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
The years Ramadan fell in May
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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