The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday he was "extremely concerned" about what he described as Iran's lack of co-operation about unexplained traces of uranium in the country.
Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Iran "has not been forthcoming" with information his organisation is trying to extract.
The two sides had struck an agreement in March with the aim of concluding the IAEA's inquiries about uranium traces at old but undeclared sites in Iran.
But Mr Grossi told the European Parliament on Tuesday that IAEA operatives "in the last few months were able to identify traces of enriched uranium, in places that had never been declared by Iran as places where any activity was taking place".
"The situation does not look very good," he said. "Iran, for the time being, has not been forthcoming in the kind of information we need from them ... we are extremely concerned about this."
The IAEA's talks with Iran are separate from negotiations between world powers aimed at restoring the 2015 nuclear deal, which the US abandoned four years ago. But both sides have indicated that ironing out the first issue could smooth progress towards the second.
The talks on the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, broke off in March after diplomats had described an agreement as being close. Russia's involvement in the talks added further complexity after its invasion of Ukraine poisoned the atmosphere between Moscow and the West.
A potential revival of the 2015 deal would see sanctions lifted on Iran if it agrees not to breach limits set on its atomic activity, which are designed to keep nuclear weapons out of its hands but which it has openly flouted since the US quit the pact.
Diplomats have said the window for agreement is closing because Iran's nuclear progress will eventually render a deal to curb its activities obsolete. Tehran announced on Monday that European Union diplomat Enrique Mora, who chairs the negotiations that had been taking place in Vienna, would visit Tehran this week.
Mr Grossi said those talks were "at a sort of pause" but said his agency was "of course still hopeful that some agreement is going to be reached within a reasonable timeframe".
However, the IAEA was "trying to clarify a number of still-open matters with Iran", said Mr Grossi, who has said his watchdog will not drop its investigations to help seal a JCPOA deal. Documents are to be exchanged between the two sides by May 22.
Iran "should be at the top of our preoccupations in spite of the drama that is unfolding in Ukraine", Mr Grossi said, after fighting near nuclear sites, including the Chernobyl exclusion zone, led to fears of radioactive fallout.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
LAST 16
SEEDS
Liverpool, Manchester City, Barcelona, Paris St-Germain, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Valencia, Juventus
PLUS
Real Madrid, Tottenham, Atalanta, Atletico Madrid, Napoli, Borussia Dortmund, Lyon, Chelsea
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
SHADOWS%20AND%20LIGHT%3A%20THE%20EXTRAORDINARY%20LIFE%20OF%20JAMES%20MCBEY
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Alasdair%20Soussi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20300%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPublisher%3A%20Scotland%20Street%20Press%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAvailable%3A%20December%201%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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Company profile
Name: Tratok Portal
Founded: 2017
Based: UAE
Sector: Travel & tourism
Size: 36 employees
Funding: Privately funded
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
'Cheb%20Khaled'
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SQUADS
Bangladesh (from): Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Mahmudullah Riyad, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das, Taijul Islam, Mosaddek Hossain, Nayeem Hasan, Mehedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadat Hossain, Abu Jayed
Afghanistan (from): Rashid Khan (capt), Ihsanullah Janat, Javid Ahmadi, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Ikram Alikhil, Mohammad Nabi, Qais Ahmad, Sayed Ahmad Shirzad, Yamin Ahmadzai, Zahir Khan Pakteen, Afsar Zazai, Shapoor Zadran
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go
- The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
- The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
- The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.
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