US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday said Iran could cut its nuclear weapon breakout time to "a matter of weeks" should it continue to escalate its breaches of the 2015 nuclear deal.
“The programme is galloping forward,” Mr Blinken told the House of Representatives' foreign affairs committee.
“The agreement pushed [breakout time] into a year or more. It’s now down, by published reports, to a few months at best.
"And if this continues, it will get down to a matter of weeks, exactly what we sought to avoid and what the agreement stopped.”
Since former president Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018, Iran has steadily increased its breaches of the accord.
It installed advanced centrifuges at its Natanz nuclear site while stockpiling 2.5 kilograms of 60 per cent enriched uranium, 90kg of 20 per cent enriched uranium and 5,000kg of 5 per cent enriched uranium.
President Joe Biden has offered to lift the Trump administration's sanctions on Iran as part of a “compliance for compliance” return to the deal.
But Washington and Tehran are slowly arguing over which sanctions the US will need to lift and what activities Iran will have to suspend through indirect, months-long talks in Vienna.
Mr Blinken again questioned Iran's willingness to return to compliance with the deal.
“It remains unclear whether Iran is willing and prepared to do what it needs to do to come back into compliance, so we’re still testing that proposition,” Mr Blinken said.
The Iranian elections scheduled for next week could further delay nuclear diplomacy as hardline cleric Ebrahim Raisi, a staunch critic of the deal, is overwhelmingly favoured to win after the Guardian Council barred more moderate candidates from running.
But supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the final say on all security matters and has allowed the Vienna talks to proceed in hopes of seeing the sanctions removed.
Mr Blinken also criticised Iran’s support for Hamas after the militants sent a barrages of rocket attacks into Israel last month following weeks of mounting tension in Jerusalem.
But he said that the rockets Hamas fired did not come from Iran.
“The best public assessment is that in its most recent incident, most of the rockets were indigenously produced in Gaza by Hamas,” Mr Blinken said.
“Iran’s support for Hamas has been a persistent problem for a long time, a problem that existed before the nuclear deal, that continued during the nuclear deal and continues today despite the so-called maximum pressure campaign when we’re out of the deal."
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MATCH INFO
Barcelona 4 (Messi 23' pen, 45 1', 48', Busquets 85')
Celta Vigo 1 (Olaza 42')
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,470,000 (est)
Engine 6.9-litre twin-turbo W12
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 626bhp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 900Nm @ 1,350rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.0L / 100km
Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Record breaker
- The most total field goals made in NBA history, as well as the most consecutive games scoring 10 or more points
- The only player in NBA history to reach 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists
- Four-time regular season MVP and four-time NBA Finals MVP
- Six-time NBA All-Defensive selection. Rookie of the Year in 2004
- The most All-NBA selections with 21 in a row, including a record 13 first team selections
- The most consecutive All-Star selections with 21
- The only player to play alongside his son; Bronny James was chosen by the Lakers in the 2024 NBA draft
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
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IF YOU GO
The flights: FlyDubai offers direct flights to Catania Airport from Dubai International Terminal 2 daily with return fares starting from Dh1,895.
The details: Access to the 2,900-metre elevation point at Mount Etna by cable car and 4x4 transport vehicle cost around €57.50 (Dh248) per adult. Entry into Teatro Greco costs €10 (Dh43). For more go to www.visitsicily.info
Where to stay: Hilton Giardini Naxos offers beachfront access and accessible to Taormina and Mount Etna. Rooms start from around €130 (Dh561) per night, including taxes.
