Over recent weeks it became increasingly evident that Iran has shifted its policy and once again became open to serious nuclear negotiations with the US. Reports suggest a limited informal or unwritten understanding is being developed through indirect negotiations in Oman. Despite the hand-wringing by critics on all sides, that's definitely good news.
Confidence between the parties has grown such that, through carefully orchestrated leaks by diplomats, the basic outlines of a potential arrangement have been widely reported by the media.
The understandings begin with the long overdue release of three dual US-Iranian citizens imprisoned in Iran that Washington and much of the world consider hostages in exchange for the release of restricted Iranian funds. The US has allowed Iraq to pay Iran $3 billion for gas and electricity purchases, and South Korea $7 billion for Iranian oil already received. Both payments are limited to humanitarian purposes, specifically purchasing food and medicine. South Korean banks will receive indemnification assurances from the US Treasury Department that sanctions will not be triggered when they transfer these funds. The three prisoners may therefore be released in the near future.
Iran will reportedly limit uranium enrichment to 60 per cent, with 90 per cent considered weapons-grade. Although there are concerns Iran could potentially weaponise the enriched uranium it has already stockpiled, 60 is obviously far better than 90. In exchange, the Biden administration will commit to not imposing new sanctions on Tehran and to providing additional waivers on payments up to a total of about $2 billion, all targeted for humanitarian purposes.
Critics of the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and the Barack Obama administration, especially some staunch supporters of Israel, are outraged, claiming, in their familiar mantra, that the US is giving Iran “pallets of cash”.
Such concessions are well worth the risks if such a limited, and even informal or unwritten, understanding can provide a real breakthrough
In truth, the Obama administration never delivered "pallets of cash" to Iran in return for the nuclear deal or anything else, and the Biden administration isn't doing that either. It is releasing Iranian money that has been withheld as leverage precisely for purposes such as achieving a diplomatic breakthrough like this, no matter how limited.
Money, like oil, is fungible, so the restrictions to humanitarian purposes may be somewhat coy. Arguably, it still frees Iranian assets up for other uses, including military and nuclear ones. However, it is by no means certain that the Iranian regime would voluntarily be spending such funds on food and medicine. So, the payments could just as easily provide otherwise non-existent relief to innocents.
The crucial point is that such concessions are well worth the risks if such a limited, and even informal or unwritten, understanding can provide a real breakthrough. The revival of a functional dialogue between Washington and Tehran that begins to chip away at the mountainous edifice of distrust that has formed since the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal is absolutely indispensable.
That disastrous withdrawal is especially significant because these developments are unfolding in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election, which could well feature a rematch between Mr Biden – who served as Mr Obama’s vice president during the implementation of the defunct nuclear agreement – and his presidential predecessor Donald Trump, who scrapped the nuclear deal in favour of a campaign of “maximum pressure”.
Those sanctions perhaps limited Iran's ability to fund the malignant activities of its network of armed gangs in neighbouring Arab countries, but they did nothing to mitigate its aggressive policies.
On the contrary, after about a year of trying to weather the sanctions, Tehran decided to strike back with its own campaign of "maximum resistance", which involved a series of nefarious but deniable "grey zone" attacks against shipping and other targets in the Gulf. That culminated in the September 2019 attack on Saudi Aramco facilities that significantly reduced Saudi oil production for several days and rocked global petroleum markets. Meanwhile, Iran’s economy survived "maximum" sanctions, defanging what had long been a potent threat.
Republicans in Congress will be demanding oversight of anything discussed with Iran to prevent Mr Biden from achieving a crucial, albeit limited, diplomatic breakthrough and begin to repair the colossal damage done by Mr Trump's error. They are counting on the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015, which provides a limited role for Congress in overseeing nuclear agreements with Iran.
However, the Act places no restrictions on presidential waivers of sanctions, does not require that Congress is informed of all details of every understanding, or even agreement, with Iran, does not provide a means for Congress to re-impose sanctions, and does not mandate a timeline or process for congressional review of whatever is submitted by the White House.
On the other hand, the president has the authority to conduct the foreign policy of the US, and both the language of the 2015 Act and the history of US policymaking and implementation suggest Mr Biden has great leeway when it comes to limited agreements and understandings with Iran, regardless of congressional heckling and grandstanding.
Mr Trump will claim that he had the situation entirely under control when he was president, especially after he withdrew from the nuclear agreement, and that Iran was about to fully capitulate to him. But that will be just another outrageous lie from a compulsive fabricator.
In reality, his policies infuriated Iran, but gained little for the US and its regional partners. Instead, they left a legacy of instability and peril. Hence the resumption of dialogue and diplomatic relations with Iran by key Gulf countries. Even when it comes to an apparently implacable adversary as Iran, international relations are very rarely reducible to a zero-sum equation.
Critics will be right that this potential limited understanding will resolve nothing. But it will come at an equally small cost. The real value lies beyond its specific terms. Successful indirect negotiations that produce reciprocal concessions on both sides are an indispensable prerequisite for taking the next step forward – if possible – with Iran regarding its nuclear programme and other egregious, unacceptable conduct.
Without a functional dialogue that can produce results, however limited, for both sides, the drift towards a ruinous and catastrophic war that will benefit no one will remain dangerously unchecked.
AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Hotel Data Cloud profile
Date started: June 2016
Founders: Gregor Amon and Kevin Czok
Based: Dubai
Sector: Travel Tech
Size: 10 employees
Funding: $350,000 (Dh1.3 million)
Investors: five angel investors (undisclosed except for Amar Shubar)
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
The Uefa Awards winners
Uefa Men's Player of the Year: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Uefa Women's Player of the Year: Lucy Bronze (Lyon)
Best players of the 2018/19 Uefa Champions League
Goalkeeper: Alisson (Liverpool)
Defender: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Midfielder: Frenkie de Jong (Ajax)
Forward: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Uefa President's Award: Eric Cantona
MADAME%20WEB
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The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo and dual electric motors
Power: 300hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 1,500-3,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.0L/100km
Price: from Dh199,900
On sale: now
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
SPECS
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The flights: South African Airways flies from Dubai International Airport with a stop in Johannesburg, with prices starting from around Dh4,000 return. Emirates can get you there with a stop in Lusaka from around Dh4,600 return.
The details: Visas are available for 247 Zambian kwacha or US$20 (Dh73) per person on arrival at Livingstone Airport. Single entry into Victoria Falls for international visitors costs 371 kwacha or $30 (Dh110). Microlight flights are available through Batoka Sky, with 15-minute flights costing 2,265 kwacha (Dh680).
Accommodation: The Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls Hotel by Anantara is an ideal place to stay, within walking distance of the falls and right on the Zambezi River. Rooms here start from 6,635 kwacha (Dh2,398) per night, including breakfast, taxes and Wi-Fi. Water arrivals cost from 587 kwacha (Dh212) per person.
Veere di Wedding
Dir: Shashanka Ghosh
Starring: Kareena Kapoo-Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania
Verdict: 4 Stars
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3EFounder%3A%20Hani%20Abu%20Ghazaleh%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20with%20an%20office%20in%20Montreal%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%202018%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Virtual%20Reality%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20raised%3A%20%241.2%20million%2C%20and%20nearing%20close%20of%20%245%20million%20new%20funding%20round%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2012%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'Young girls thinking of big ideas'
Words come easy for aspiring writer Afra Al Muhairb. The business side of books, on the other hand, is entirely foreign to the 16-year-old Emirati. So, she followed her father’s advice and enroled in the Abu Dhabi Education Council’s summer entrepreneurship course at Abu Dhabi University hoping to pick up a few new skills.
“Most of us have this dream of opening a business,” said Afra, referring to her peers are “young girls thinking of big ideas.”
In the three-week class, pupils are challenged to come up with a business and develop an operational and marketing plan to support their idea. But, the learning goes far beyond sales and branding, said teacher Sonia Elhaj.
“It’s not only about starting up a business, it’s all the meta skills that goes with it -- building self confidence, communication,” said Ms Elhaj. “It’s a way to coach them and to harness ideas and to allow them to be creative. They are really hungry to do this and be heard. They are so happy to be actually doing something, to be engaged in creating something new, not only sitting and listening and getting new information and new knowledge. Now they are applying that knowledge.”
Afra’s team decided to focus their business idea on a restaurant modelled after the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Each level would have a different international cuisine and all the meat would be halal. The pupils thought of this after discussing a common problem they face when travelling abroad.
“Sometimes we find the struggle of finding halal food, so we just eat fish and cheese, so it’s hard for us to spend 20 days with fish and cheese,” said Afra. “So we made this tower so every person who comes – from Africa, from America – they will find the right food to eat.”
rpennington@thenational.ae
Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net
