For any newly elected leader, picking a country to make his or her first official visit holds great significance. It’s no exception for Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who assumed office in July.
There was much chatter around which country he would visit first and what that might say about his administration’s foreign policy priorities. Some expected it to be the US, where Dr Pezeshkian is due to address the UN General Assembly. Others suggested Russia, to attend the Brics summit. While the President confirmed he will be visiting both countries, he opted to make his first official trip to neighbouring Iraq, indicating that Tehran intends to give priority to the region.
Despite spending just three days in Iraq, Dr Pezeshkian had an expansive agenda. Aside from Baghdad, he visited the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala. He was also Iran’s first sitting president to travel to Iraqi Kurdistan as well as the southern port city of Basra.
Each destination was heavy on symbolism. Dr Pezeshkian is a devotee of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the fourth of the Islamic Caliphs and first of the Shiite Imams, and has repeatedly quoted him both during his election campaign and since entering office. His pilgrimage to Najaf, where Ali rests, was especially meaningful, even though the fact that he didn’t meet Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, one of the world’s top Shiite clerics and leading Shiite authority in Iraq, raised a few eyebrows. He also met members of Iraq’s Co-ordination Framework, an umbrella of Islamist Shiite parties sympathetic to Tehran.
The Kurdistan leg of the trip was important on different levels.
As someone born to a Kurdish mother in the Kurdish-majority Iranian city of Mahabad, Dr Pezeshkian delighted local journalists in Kurdistan by speaking to them in their language. When he met Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid in Baghdad, the two leaders reportedly spoke in Kurdish, without interpreters, marking a historic moment.
After his return to Tehran, Dr Pezeshkian fondly recalled his meeting with Masoud Barzani, the head of Iraq’s Kurdistan Democratic Party, who was also born in Mahabad. It’s a different matter that the meeting drew protests from hardliners, unhappy that the President met a Kurdish leader without an official role.
The linguistic diplomacy was well reciprocated by Iraqi Kurdistan President Nechirvan Barzani, who spoke in fluent Persian during Dr Pezeshkian’s visit, as he lauded the “many common cultural, historical and linguistic ties” between the Iraqi Kurdish region and Iran. Mr Barzani’s fluency in Persian comes no surprise, with the leader having lived some of his childhood in Iran.
Dr Pezeshkian’s trip was especially significant because Tehran hasn’t always enjoyed warm ties with Erbil. The Iraqi Kurdish region allows the operation of Iranian Kurdish opposition parties on its soil, a perennial bugbear for Tehran and the subject of a recent security agreement with Baghdad. Erbil has also worked closely with the US and maintains unofficial ties with Israel.
Iran has traditionally held closer ties with KDP’s rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. As part of his trip, Dr Pezeshkian visited the PUK’s stronghold Sulaimaniyah and met party leader Bafel Talabani. But his warm reception in Erbil indicates Iran’s more ecumenical approach to Kurdish politics, particularly as the KDP’s concern that Tehran might back the PUK during the next month’s Kurdish parliamentary election will have been on the Iranian President’s mind.
His visit to Basra was symbolic in and of itself. Iranians will remember the 1987 siege of the city, which took place during the Iran-Iraq War and left thousands dead on both sides. Almost four decades later, with the war appearing to be firmly in the past, the city welcomed the President with the slogan “forever neighbours”.
But what does all this symbolism amount to?
Experts point out that while much of the trip seems to have been focused on public diplomacy, fundamental problems remain in the bilateral relations. Trade ties, worth less than $10 billion, remain lukewarm and even though Tehran has pledged to double this, its attempts to do so have been hampered by the western-led sanctions.
As he attempts to revive Iran’s economy and build a peace-oriented foreign policy, Dr Pezeshkian will have his work cut out for him
During his trip, Dr Pezeshkian spoke of grand plans for a union of Islamic countries. He spoke of how there are no more borders between most European countries and that one day the same could be true of the Muslim world, or at least between Iran and Iraq. And yet there are complexities even around the modest rail project that connects Basra to Iran’s Shalamcheh.
It’s also the case that ever since Saddam Hussein was overthrown in 2003, Tehran has maintained relations with Baghdad through the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, rather than its foreign ministry. Iran’s ambassador to Iraq, like his predecessors since 2003, is an IRGC official. With a new president in office, is there an opportunity for the foreign ministry to take back some of the control it had on the country’s foreign affairs – particularly when it comes to dealing with Iraq – from the IRGC?
That would be a monumental challenge for Dr Pezeshkian, but if he were to succeed, it could lead to much less interference from Tehran in Iraq’s complex domestic affairs.
As often with diplomacy, making symbolic gestures is the easy part. As he attempts to revive Iran’s economy and build a peace-oriented foreign policy, Dr Pezeshkian will have his work cut out for him.
All you need to know about Formula E in Saudi Arabia
What The Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix
When Saturday
Where Diriyah in Saudi Arabia
What time Qualifying takes place from 11.50am UAE time through until the Super Pole session, which is due to end at 12.55pm. The race, which will last for 45 minutes, starts at 4.05pm.
Who is competing There are 22 drivers, from 11 teams, on the grid, with each vehicle run solely on electronic power.
Salah in numbers
€39 million: Liverpool agreed a fee, including add-ons, in the region of €39m (nearly Dh176m) to sign Salah from Roma last year. The exchange rate at the time meant that cost the Reds £34.3m - a bargain given his performances since.
13: The 25-year-old player was not a complete stranger to the Premier League when he arrived at Liverpool this summer. However, during his previous stint at Chelsea, he made just 13 Premier League appearances, seven of which were off the bench, and scored only twice.
57: It was in the 57th minute of his Liverpool bow when Salah opened his account for the Reds in the 3-3 draw with Watford back in August. The Egyptian prodded the ball over the line from close range after latching onto Roberto Firmino's attempted lob.
7: Salah's best scoring streak of the season occurred between an FA Cup tie against West Brom on January 27 and a Premier League win over Newcastle on March 3. He scored for seven games running in all competitions and struck twice against Tottenham.
3: This season Salah became the first player in Premier League history to win the player of the month award three times during a term. He was voted as the division's best player in November, February and March.
40: Salah joined Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players in Liverpool's history to have scored 40 times in a single season when he headed home against Bournemouth at Anfield earlier this month.
30: The goal against Bournemouth ensured the Egyptian achieved another milestone in becoming the first African player to score 30 times across one Premier League campaign.
8: As well as his fine form in England, Salah has also scored eight times in the tournament phase of this season's Champions League. Only Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, with 15 to his credit, has found the net more often in the group stages and knockout rounds of Europe's premier club competition.
Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances
All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.
Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.
Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.
Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.
Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.
Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.
Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on Quran memorisation:
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Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Race results:
1. Thani Al Qemzi (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi: 46.44 min
2. Peter Morin (FRA) CTIC F1 Shenzhen China Team: 0.91sec
3. Sami Selio (FIN) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team: 31.43sec
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
