Iran's position in talks over its nuclear development programme is "inconsistent" with the terms of the deal to limit it, diplomats from the western European countries negotiating with Tehran said on Monday.
After a five-month pause, talks in Vienna on salvaging the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers resumed on November 29.
The 2015 agreement aimed to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb, a goal Tehran has always denied.
The deal ensured sanctions relief in return for tight curbs on Tehran's nuclear programme, which was put under extensive UN monitoring.
Diplomats from Iran, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia, signatory countries to the 2015 agreement, are attending the current talks.
"We have had many hours of engagement and all delegations have pressed Iran to be reasonable," said the diplomats, from Britain, France and Germany.
"As of this moment, we still have not been able to get down to real negotiations. We are losing precious time dealing with new Iranian positions inconsistent with the [nuclear deal] or that go beyond it."
Former president Donald Trump pulled the US out of the accord in 2018 and US President Joe Biden wants to negotiate Washington's return, with US diplomats participating indirectly in the talks.
Iran wants Washington to lift sanctions and is asking for guarantees that they will not be reimposed.
On Sunday, Iran's chief negotiator at the talks, Ali Bagheri, reported progress on forming an agenda.
"The two parties are at the point of agreeing on the matters which should be on the agenda," Mr Bagheri told the official Irna news agency.
"It's a positive and important evolution since, at the start, they weren't even in agreement on the issues to negotiate."
Iranian officials maintain they are serious about committing to the talks.
But the western countries have accused Tehran of backtracking on the position it held earlier this year.
Last week, Mr Biden warned that the US was preparing "additional measures" against Iran as expectations grow that the talks are set to fail.
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.
Results
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
