Inspectors from the United Nations nuclear watchdog were in Iran yesterday, urgently pressing for a deal on addressing concerns about "possible military dimensions" to Tehran's atomic programme.
The seven-member team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) arrived prepared if invited to inspect the Parchin military complex near the Iranian capital - if invited. The agency suspects Iran conducted test blasts there with nuclear applications until 2003 and possibly beyond.
The UN's nuclear watchdog also wants access to Iranian scientists and sensitive documents.
But even before the talks began between the IAEA represntatives and Iranian nuclear officials, Iranian media yesterday said the inspectors, led by the IAEA's deputy director, Herman Nackaerts, would not be given access to Parchin "for now". Tehran insisted it must first reach a framework deal with the IAEA for such visits.
The UN agency suspects Iran has been sanitising the site to remove any traces of illicit activity - a charge Tehran rejects as western propaganda.
Suspicion is mutual. Iran recently accused the IAEA of being infiltrated by hostile intelligence agencies, saying this undermined its role as an impartial organisation.
The United States last month warned that Iran must fully cooperate with the IAEA's investigation by March or face the prospect of being hauled before the UN Security Council for further action, possibly including new sanctions.
Yesterday's talks were closely monitored by six world powers preparing for the resumption in coming weeks of wider, critical nuclear negotiations with Iran following the re-election of Barack Obama, the US president.
Dealings between Iran and the so-called P5+1 - the US, Britain, Russia, China, France and Germany - are separate from Tehran's negotiations with the IAEA, but the two tracks are closely related.
The first is concerned with Iran's current nuclear programme, the second with its past activities.
Iran, which insists its nuclear work is solely for peaceful purposes, has rejected allegations about Parchin as "childish" and "ridiculous", saying they are based on "fabricated documents" provided by hostile spy agencies.
Iran has barred international inspectors access to Parchin for four years, arguing it is a conventional military site, not a nuclear one, and therefore none of the IAEA's business. Tehran also has long demanded to see the agency's documents relating to Parchin.
In a possible bid to gain Iran's cooperation, the IAEA's director-general, Yukiya Amano, said last week his agency would share sensitive data with Iran "when appropriate".
Mojtaba Fathi, a political analyst for Tehran's pro-reform Bahar daily, said Iran might demand that any information from Parchin be kept confidential by the inspectors as a precondition for a possible visit.
A deal between Iran and the IAEA in itself would not be enough to allay international concerns about Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
The West's immediate aim is to get Iran to stop enrichment of uranium to 20 per cent, which is a short technological step from producing bomb-grade material. Iran says it is only doing so to provide medical isotopes for cancer patients.
The P5+1 hopes to persuade Iran to end this level of enrichment and ship abroad its stockpile of such material, but Tehran wants significant relief from choking, Western-imposed sanctions in return. Iran also demands acceptance of its right to continue enriching uranium to a lower level to fuel civilian nuclear power reactors.
The P5+1 are discussing possible changes to an offer rejected by Iran in their last round of talks in Moscow in June.
Russia, reportedly, has yet to agree to an "updated" package of proposals because it still does not offer Iran sufficient sanctions relief.
Meanwhile, Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, suggested on Wednesday that some of his powerful hardline rivals - who have sidelined him on atomic policy — were reluctant to resolve the nuclear dispute.
"Our policy is cooperation with the IAEA," he said on Wednesday. "Of course some in Iran do not want the issue to be resolved and think it is better this way," he said, without elaborating.
mtheodoulou@thenational.ae
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
T20 World Cup Qualifier A, Muscat
Friday, February 18: 10am - Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm - Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain
Saturday, February 19: 10am - Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm - UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain
Monday, February 21: 10am - Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm - Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines
Tuesday, February 22: 2pm – semi-finals
Thursday, February 24: 2pm – final
UAE squad: Ahmed Raza (captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia
All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv
What is an FTO Designation?
FTO designations impose immigration restrictions on members of the organisation simply by virtue of their membership and triggers a criminal prohibition on knowingly providing material support or resources to the designated organisation as well as asset freezes.
It is a crime for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to or receive military-type training from or on behalf of a designated FTO.
Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances removable from, the United States.
Except as authorised by the Secretary of the Treasury, any US financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of or control over funds in which an FTO or its agent has an interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the funds to the Treasury Department.
Source: US Department of State
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Honeymoonish
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Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Favourite things
Luxury: Enjoys window shopping for high-end bags and jewellery
Discount: She works in luxury retail, but is careful about spending, waits for sales, festivals and only buys on discount
University: The only person in her family to go to college, Jiang secured a bachelor’s degree in business management in China
Masters: Studying part-time for a master’s degree in international business marketing in Dubai
Vacation: Heads back home to see family in China
Community work: Member of the Chinese Business Women’s Association of the UAE to encourage other women entrepreneurs
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Five%20calorie-packed%20Ramadan%20drinks
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How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg