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Militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah have welcomed the keenly awaited US–Iran talks set to be held in Oman on Saturday, stating that their main regional backer, Tehran, won’t “sell out” its allies.
The two armed factions were at the forefront of Iran’s regional battle for dominance before suffering heavy blows in the continuing wars with Israel.
“Iran has a long and distinguished history in negotiations and is capable of manoeuvring on multiple fronts,” said a Hamas official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “It may bend in the face of the storm, but it does not break,” added the official.
“Iran is a sovereign state and has the final say in determining its diplomatic moves and interests in the region and globally,” said a source close to Lebanon’s Hezbollah. “The negotiations in Oman are an opportunity for the Iranian leadership to reaffirm to its people that the diplomatic option remains on the table.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that the talks would involve a "top-level leader in Iran" meeting Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff. "We hope that will lead to peace," Mr Rubio said.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce added in a later briefing that the US was looking at the meeting "as a good first step to find out if the Iranians are serious".
Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, warned that Iran could move its enriched uranium to "secure locations" to deter any military strike. He said Iran would also consider expelling nuclear inspectors if "external threats" continue. Ms Bruce said this would be an "escalation and a miscalculation on Iran's part".
The Hamas statement came after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that US investors are welcome to invest in the country, marking another shift in Tehran’s approach towards Washington, long considered its greatest adversary. Hours earlier, Deputy Special Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus told The National in an interview that the US aims to establish common ground and mutual understanding with Iran during the meetings in Oman.
Iran has long described the US as its biggest enemy and has commonly referred to it as the "Great Satan". But the oil-rich country, which is under heavy economic sanctions, has recently shifted its tone towards the administration of President Donald Trump after severe setbacks to its main proxy militant groups in the region.
Inside Iran, analysts and academics are debating whether Tehran should fundamentally rethink its regional strategy, with the leadership weighing a shift that could lead to the scaling back of support for armed militant groups in response to regional fatigue and rising costs.
“Iran can never sell out its allies, despite talk that it might abandon Hezbollah, Ansar Allah (Yemen's Houthis), or Hamas,” stressed the Hamas official. “We have absolute confidence that Iran will not sell out its allies."
The source close to Hezbollah praised “the strength of Tehran’s position”, claiming that “it does not enter negotiations under duress, but based on principles and standards it has set".
"Iran’s position has always been to call for talks – just like with the nuclear issue, where it has consistently emphasised its peaceful nature. Therefore, Iran does not fear negotiations, nor defending its position,” added the source.
While Iran denies seeking to develop a nuclear weapon, it is “dramatically” accelerating the enrichment of uranium to 60 per cent purity – a short step from the 90 per cent required to create nuclear weapons. However, following threats from Mr Trump, senior political adviser Ali Larijani warned that Iran would acquire such a weapon if attacked. On Wednesday, Mr Pezeshkian sought to ease tensions by offering guarantees.
A turning point for Iran may have come when an Israeli pager bomb attack in Lebanon last year struck Hezbollah at its core, killing dozens of members. Shortly after, Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli strike, along with other central figures. This sequence of events triggered a domino effect, leading to the eventual collapse of the regime of Bashar Al Assad in Syria.
Israeli and US intelligence successes have disrupted Tehran’s network, while the collapse of the Syrian regime was a devastating blow to Iran's ambitions. Even Iran’s own territory has not been immune: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, and Israel has struck Iranian military positions inside the country.
The Hamas official acknowledged that Iran’s support has scaled down. “There may currently be a decline in funding and weapons transfers, but Iran’s support for the resistance remains in place,” explained the official. “The current situation does not allow for the transfer of weapons as it once did, but Iran remains a key backer of resistance movements,” he added.
The previous Trump administration had not negotiated with Iran, and Saturday’s talks – whether direct or indirect – will mark the first public rapprochement between the two sides. The US State Department has confirmed that Mr
off, the US Special Envoy to the Middle East, will participate.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who will lead from the Iranian side, said this week that his country is “ready to engage in earnest” to seal a deal, in an opinion piece published in The Washington Post. Meanwhile, in her interview with The National, Ms Ortagus said the administration knows “how to get a deal” and that it isn’t “focused a lot on the process” to achieve that.
Kassem Kassir, a political analyst with insights into Hezbollah, stated that “Iran is seeking to reach a new nuclear deal under new conditions, and it is in the interest of both Iran and the US to avoid going to war. However, I expect the outcome in advance: the US wants to impose its vision and approach, claiming it brought Iran to the negotiating table – but Iran does not trust America."
Political experts predicted the early stages of the talks would steer clear of regional issues and Iran’s influence across the Middle East.
On Thursday, Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani sought to reaffirm Tehran’s support for the armed groups it backs in the region, including the Houthis in Yemen, but stopped short of saying whether this support would continue in the same form – particularly regarding finance, arms and training.
“Today, after a year and a half of widespread war, the resistance front stands firm, having resisted with the fewest resources against the enemy’s advanced equipment,” said Mr Qaani, as quoted by state media. “The nature of resistance is such that whoever fights it only strengthens it.”
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Ads on social media can 'normalise' drugs
A UK report on youth social media habits commissioned by advocacy group Volteface found a quarter of young people were exposed to illegal drug dealers on social media.
The poll of 2,006 people aged 16-24 assessed their exposure to drug dealers online in a nationally representative survey.
Of those admitting to seeing drugs for sale online, 56 per cent saw them advertised on Snapchat, 55 per cent on Instagram and 47 per cent on Facebook.
Cannabis was the drug most pushed by online dealers, with 63 per cent of survey respondents claiming to have seen adverts on social media for the drug, followed by cocaine (26 per cent) and MDMA/ecstasy, with 24 per cent of people.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The Perfect Couple
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
