Building housing the reactor of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran, file photo dated April 3, 2007. AFP
Building housing the reactor of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran, file photo dated April 3, 2007. AFP
Building housing the reactor of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran, file photo dated April 3, 2007. AFP
Building housing the reactor of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran, file photo dated April 3, 2007. AFP

Joe Biden’s pledge to re-enter Iran nuclear deal faces complications


Bryant Harris
  • English
  • Arabic

President-elect Joe Biden is still committed to re-enter the Iran nuclear deal and follow-up negotiations if Tehran returned to "strict compliance", he told The New York Times  on Tuesday.

But the Biden administration will have to deal with new complications that have emerged since President Donald Trump withdrew from the accord in 2018.

"A lot of things have happened since 2018 when Mr Trump left the agreement that, if not negotiated, at least have to be addressed," Kenneth Katzman, an Iran specialist at the Congressional Research Service, told The National.

“Normally, this would presumably need to be spelt out in terms of commitments that the United States needs to make and additional Iranian commitments in terms of the new facilities, and maybe new activities that they have done since they stopped complying in 2019.”

Since Mr Trump’s withdrawal, Iran has started to breach key provisions of the deal, stockpiling 12 times the amount of low-enriched uranium permissible and testing advanced centrifuges barred by the agreement.

Iran has also started rebuilding its Natanz uranium enrichment centre after a fire in July, which Tehran has attributed to sabotage.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, which still has access to Iranian nuclear sites as outlined under the deal, has not said that rebuilding Natanz breaches the nuclear pact.

But it represents one more issue the Biden administration will have to iron out with Iran, even as it sorts through the hundreds of sanctions the Trump administration has placed on Tehran.

Those sanctions go beyond those that existed before the deal, which was signed under the administration of Barack Obama in 2015.

And Iran hawks in the departing Trump administration are hoping to place even more sanctions on Tehran in their last few weeks in power as part of an "Iran sanctions wall" meant to complicate Mr Biden's efforts to revive the deal.

Mr Biden could remove many of these additional penalties at once using the same national security waiver used by Mr Obama and by Mr Trump before his 2018 withdrawal to provide the sanctions relief to which the US had committed to under the deal.

But as Mr Katzman noted: “You’re talking about hundreds and hundreds of entities that would need to be delisted.

"Iran didn’t take too kindly to the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] being named a foreign terrorist organisation.”

Even if Iran allowed Mr Biden to keep Mr Trump's 2019 terrorist designation on the IRGC and his November sanctions on supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's personal foundation, other sanctions present thornier issues.

“I’m pretty sure they would demand that the Central Bank no longer be designated as a terrorism entity,” Mr Katzman said.

Although the US Treasury Department formally maintains an exemption on humanitarian trade with Tehran, Mr Trump’s October sanctions on the country’s Central Bank sought to cut Tehran off from the global financial system.

That exacerbated its currency crisis and discouraged companies from medical and agricultural trade with Iran as Covid-19 ravages the country.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Javad Zarif have indicated that they are receptive to reviving the deal.

But it could take months for Iran to rid itself of the excess low-enriched uranium and dismantle the advanced centrifuges to return to compliance with the accord.

That would mean US sanctions would remain in place, even at the start of the Biden administration.

The nuclear deal has already become a political football between Iran's hardliners and the moderate and reformist camps before the presidential elections, set for June.

The assassination last week of Iran's top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, an act Iran blames on Israel, has prompted Iranian hardliners to push harder on the nuclear issue.

The Iranian Parliament passed a bill this week that would require the Rouhani government to ban International Atomic Energy Agency inspections and resume uranium enrichment to 20 per cent.

But the legislation is largely symbolic as supreme leader Mr Khamenei has the final say on matters related to the nuclear programme.

All together, this makes Mr Biden’s pledge to negotiate a follow-on agreement especially ambitious.

"In consultation with our allies and partners, we're going to engage in negotiations and follow-on agreements to tighten and lengthen Iran's nuclear constraints, as well as address the missile programme," Mr Biden told The New York Times.

Mr Katzman said Iran might be willing to make some concessions on extending the deal’s sunset provisions and on its ballistic missile programme, but not on its regional proxies in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.

“Iran has categorically rejected any discussion of limitations on its regional interventions,” Mr Katzman said.

“Iran’s view is that they did not start a lot of the conflicts, and Iran is involved at the request of certain parties.

"Iran’s view is that everyone else is meddling in these conflicts, everyone’s intervened in these conflicts, and they are not going to be held to some limitations when everyone else is free to intervene.”

Regional conflicts aside, Mr Katzman said it was conceivable that Iran could agree to codify its ballistic missile range of 2,000 kilometres in a new agreement.

And while the UN arms embargo on Iran expired in October as the nuclear deal’s first sunset provision, the first restrictions on Iran’s centrifuges do not expire until 2025.

“Reading between the tea leaves, my sense is that they would be willing to entertain extending some of the deadlines,” Mr Katzman said.

Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion

The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.

Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".

The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.

He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.

"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.

As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.

If you go

The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at. 
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.   

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Madrid Open schedule

Men's semi-finals

Novak Djokovic (1) v Dominic Thiem (5) from 6pm

Stefanos Tsitsipas (8) v Rafael Nadal (2) from 11pm

Women's final

Simona Halep (3) v Kiki Bertens (7) from 8.30pm

Who has been sanctioned?

Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.

Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.

Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.

Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.

The biog

Marital status: Separated with two young daughters

Education: Master's degree from American Univeristy of Cairo

Favourite book: That Is How They Defeat Despair by Salwa Aladian

Favourite Motto: Their happiness is your happiness

Goal: For Nefsy to become his legacy long after he is gon

ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS

- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns 

- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;

- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces

- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,

- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.

Defence review at a glance

• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”

• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems

• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.

• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%

• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade

• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels

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How to avoid crypto fraud
  • Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
  • Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
  • Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
  • Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
  • Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
  • Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
  • Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Know before you go
  • Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
  • If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
  • By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
  • Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
  • Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.

 

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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
Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

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