A possible breakthrough in bringing Iran back into the 2015 nuclear agreement and getting the US to lift sanctions is possible within “the next days or a week”, the EU’s foreign affairs representative said.
Talks were now at “critical juncture” in reviving the deal, Josep Borrell said in Brussels.
He spoke after a virtual meeting of the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council in which US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had his first discussion with European ministers.
Mr Borrell said to prevent Iran’s continued nuclear developments it was necessary to bring back full implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and for the US to lift sanctions.
“This is the only way forward and is in the interest of global and regional security,” he said.
“I can tell you that intense diplomatic contacts are ongoing, including with the US.
"As JCPOA co-ordinator, it is my job to help to create the space for diplomacy and to find a solution … and I hope at the next stage there will be news.”
Mr Borrell said that “in the next days or week, we could prove that working together delivers results in this field”.
While Mr Blinken gave no indication that the US was yet willing to lift sanctions as a first move to halt Iran’s nuclear programme, he called for an accord that would “lengthen and strengthen” the 2015 deal.
On Monday he said he was pleased the US and European partners shared the same objectives regarding Iran.
“President Biden has been clear for some time that if Iran returns to compliance with its obligations under the nuclear agreement, the United States would do the same thing,” Mr Blinken said.
The US now has an invitation from the EU for an informal meeting of the Joint Commission of the Iran nuclear agreement.
The US, European partners, Russia, China and Iran have all been invited, and Mr Blinken said the US intended to be there.
“If it happens, would be the opening steps on a diplomatic path to seeing if we can resolve this issue,” he said.
Mr Blinken said that if Iran co-operated, the US would work with its partners to improve the nuclear agreement and confront other challenges posed by Iran, such as its destabilising activities in the region and its ballistic missile programme.
He said the US had made no upfront concessions, but that its policy towards Iran under the Trump administration had not produced results and that the problem had worsened.
“Iran is now much closer to being able to produce on short order enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon,” Mr Blinken said.
The US does not feel it has given up its leverage over Iran because all of the original sanctions are still in place.
“In fact, our leverage has now increased because we’re now, once again, on the same page with our European partners,” Mr Blinken said.
“Because they very much disagreed with the United States pulling out of the nuclear agreement, they were expending most of their energy on trying to keep the agreement alive, not in exerting pressure on Iran for some of the other egregious actions that it takes in the region and beyond.
“We’re now all in the same place and we’re united in purpose, and that’s a very powerful thing.”
While EU officials expect negotiations to be arduous, Washington has already indicated that it is willing to send its special envoy, Rob Malley, to meet Iranian officials.
Although US sanctions are hurting the Iranian economy, at an estimated cost of $150 billion, the regime still appears to be unyielding in its demand for them to be lifted before discussions.
“The US will not be able to rejoin the nuclear pact before it lifts sanctions,” Iran’s Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif, said on Sunday.
Mr Blinken will know that today’s discussions on Iran are going to be a significant foreign policy test of President Joe Biden’s administration.
Unpicking the sanctions, some imposed for Iran’s support of terrorism, will be challenging at home with Republicans and some Democrats strongly opposed to compromise.
Domestic politics are at play on both sides. There is a presidential election in Iran in June and with Iranian discontent over the economic hardship and Covid-19, the regime is likely to want to offer some relief to the people.
While supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has publicly portrayed an uncompromising message, the economic and political realities may make Iran more flexible.
The potential for compromise has been helped after the nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, agreed to temporary measures for the next three months to offset Iran's decision to restrict access to inspectors.
But Iran has stated that from tomorrow it will halt snap UN nuclear work inspections.
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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
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
MATCH INFO
Argentina 47 (Tries: Sanchez, Tuculet (2), Mallia (2), De La Fuente, Bertranou; Cons: Sanchez 5, Urdapilleta)
United States 17 (Tries: Scully (2), Lasike; Cons: MacGinty)
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)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Episode list:
Ep1: A recovery like no other- the unevenness of the economic recovery
Ep2: PCR and jobs - the future of work - new trends and challenges
Ep3: The recovery and global trade disruptions - globalisation post-pandemic
Ep4: Inflation- services and goods - debt risks
Ep5: Travel and tourism
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
Hamilton profile
Age 32
Country United Kingdom
Grands Prix entered 198
Pole positions 67
Wins 57
Podiums 110
Points 2,423
World Championships 3
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 290hp
Torque: 340Nm
Price: Dh155,800
On sale: now
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
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The language of diplomacy in 1853
Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity Agreed Upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on Behalf of Themselves, Their Heirs and Successors Under the Mediation of the Resident of the Persian Gulf, 1853
(This treaty gave the region the name “Trucial States”.)
We, whose seals are hereunto affixed, Sheikh Sultan bin Suggar, Chief of Rassool-Kheimah, Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboo Dhebbee, Sheikh Saeed bin Buyte, Chief of Debay, Sheikh Hamid bin Rashed, Chief of Ejman, Sheikh Abdoola bin Rashed, Chief of Umm-ool-Keiweyn, having experienced for a series of years the benefits and advantages resulting from a maritime truce contracted amongst ourselves under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf and renewed from time to time up to the present period, and being fully impressed, therefore, with a sense of evil consequence formerly arising, from the prosecution of our feuds at sea, whereby our subjects and dependants were prevented from carrying on the pearl fishery in security, and were exposed to interruption and molestation when passing on their lawful occasions, accordingly, we, as aforesaid have determined, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, to conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity.
Taken from Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925-1939: the Imperial Oasis, by Clive Leatherdale
