Abbas Araghchi at a press conference in Tehran in 2013. AFP
Abbas Araghchi at a press conference in Tehran in 2013. AFP
Abbas Araghchi at a press conference in Tehran in 2013. AFP
Abbas Araghchi at a press conference in Tehran in 2013. AFP

Iran replaces nuclear diplomat in foreign ministry reshuffle


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Iran’s top international negotiator, Abbas Araghchi, has been replaced by a hardline critic of the 2015 nuclear deal as world powers press Tehran and Washington to quickly revive the ailing accord after months of stalled talks.

Ali Bagheri Kani will take over from Mr Araghchi as deputy foreign minister for political affairs, effective immediately, following a reshuffle announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday. Mr Araghchi will be retained as an adviser to Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian.

It is not clear whether Mr Bagheri Kani will also assume Mr Araghchi’s more important role of chief negotiator in efforts to revive the nuclear accord, which were put on hold after the election of President Ebrahim Raisi in June.

The move means that one of Iran’s most experienced envoys – involved in six rounds of talks this year – may no longer be officially involved in efforts to restore the 2015 deal that reins in Tehran’s nuclear programme in exchange for relief from economic sanctions, including those choking its oil exports.

Former US president Donald Trump quit the multinational accord, but President Joe Biden’s administration supports efforts to rekindle it.

  • Russian contractors work at the Bushehr nuclear reactor site in 2007. The plant opened four years later. Bloomberg
    Russian contractors work at the Bushehr nuclear reactor site in 2007. The plant opened four years later. Bloomberg
  • An Iranian technician at the International Atomic Energy Agency inspects the country's Isfahan plant in 2007. Tehran is no longer co-operating with the agency at nuclear sites across the country. EPA
    An Iranian technician at the International Atomic Energy Agency inspects the country's Isfahan plant in 2007. Tehran is no longer co-operating with the agency at nuclear sites across the country. EPA
  • Workers wait to begin constructing a second reactor at the Bushehr nuclear power plant in 2019. AFP
    Workers wait to begin constructing a second reactor at the Bushehr nuclear power plant in 2019. AFP
  • A metal-encased rod with 20 per cent enriched nuclear fuel is inserted into a reactor in Tehran in 2012. AFP
    A metal-encased rod with 20 per cent enriched nuclear fuel is inserted into a reactor in Tehran in 2012. AFP
  • Fomer Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and the country's Atomic Energy Organisation chief Ali Akbar Salehi speak at the Bushehr nuclear site in 2015. AFP
    Fomer Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and the country's Atomic Energy Organisation chief Ali Akbar Salehi speak at the Bushehr nuclear site in 2015. AFP
  • Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant has been restarted. EPA
    Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant has been restarted. EPA
  • Mehdi Abrichamtchi, chairman of the Peace and Security Committee at the National Council of Resistance of Iran, shows journalists the location of a secret nuclear site in Iran in 2013. AFP
    Mehdi Abrichamtchi, chairman of the Peace and Security Committee at the National Council of Resistance of Iran, shows journalists the location of a secret nuclear site in Iran in 2013. AFP
  • Workers prepare to begin the construction of a second reactor at the Bushehr site. AFP
    Workers prepare to begin the construction of a second reactor at the Bushehr site. AFP

Mr Bagheri Kani was a senior nuclear negotiator a decade ago during the presidency of hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad when talks to end a standoff with the West over Iran’s nuclear programme were not successful. He is also close to the ultraconservative judiciary that Mr Raisi used to lead before being elected president.

Although he is an experienced official and is aligned with some of the country’s most powerful institutions, Mr Bagheri Kani does not have extensive international experience and little is known about his foreign-language abilities.

Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.

The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?

My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.

The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.

So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.

 

 

IF YOU GO

The flights

FlyDubai flies direct from Dubai to Skopje in five hours from Dh1,314 return including taxes. Hourly buses from Skopje to Ohrid take three hours.

The tours

English-speaking guided tours of Ohrid town and the surrounding area are organised by Cultura 365; these cost €90 (Dh386) for a one-day trip including driver and guide and €100 a day (Dh429) for two people. 

The hotels

Villa St Sofija in the old town of Ohrid, twin room from $54 (Dh198) a night.

St Naum Monastery, on the lake 30km south of Ohrid town, has updated its pilgrims' quarters into a modern 3-star hotel, with rooms overlooking the monastery courtyard and lake. Double room from $60 (Dh 220) a night.

 

Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

Profile

Company: Justmop.com

Date started: December 2015

Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan

Sector: Technology and home services

Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai

Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month

Funding:  The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups. 

Brief scores:

Juventus 3

Dybala 6', Bonucci 17', Ronaldo 63'

Frosinone 0

Tuesday's fixtures
Group A
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Iran v Uzbekistan, 8pm
N Korea v UAE, 10.15pm
Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.” 

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Updated: September 15, 2021, 6:18 AM