Iran is ready to revive talks with world powers but harsh new western sanctions will not force Tehran to give into demands over its nuclear programme, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday.
The Iranian president said sanctions would backfire and leave Iran unscathed, and reiterated his government's position that the country does not need to sell oil to Europe.
"Why should we shun talks? Why and how should a party that has logic and is right shun talks?" he said. Instead, he accused the West of trying to scuttle negotiations as a way of further squeezing the Islamic Republic.
Analysts said hopes of any progress with talks would depend on whether Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, backs the president's position. The two men oversee rival hardline camps in the regime.
The ayatollah is particularly mistrustful of the West and some of his supporters believe Mr Ahmadinejad, despite his often strident rhetoric, wants to improve relations with the US.
The last round of talks between Iran and the major powers, consisting of the US, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany, was held in Turkey in January 2011, but the negotiations collapsed.
The six powers say they are waiting for Iran's reply to a letter the EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, sent in October, stressing that negotiations should focus on the "key question" of the Iranian nuclear issue. In the last two rounds of talks, Iranian officials wanted to talk about regional and global issues instead.
Meanwhile on Sunday the Iranian parliament will consider a ban on oil exports to the European Union in retaliation for the bloc's imposition on Monday of a phased oil embargo. The measure would add to the difficulties of struggling economies in southern Europe.
The EU sanctions give Iranian oil importers such as Greece, Spain and Italy time to find new suppliers, but Iran could rob them of an adjustment period by closing the tap immediately.
"At this point it could be bluster because Iran still needs the money, but Iranian politics have surprised us before, so we can't rule out there's a small chance they might do it," Meir Javedanfar, an Iranian-born analyst in Israel, said yesterday.
The EU currently buys about 20 per cent of Iran's oil exports. Iran's intentions on the nuclear issue, meanwhile, may become clearer on Sunday when a senior team from the UN's nuclear watchdog makes a rare three-day trip to Tehran, at Iran's invitation.
The inspectors' main objective is to receive explanations for intelligence indicating that Iran has pursued research and development relevant to nuclear weapons. Tehran insists its nuclear programme is purely peaceful.
Iran has indicated before that it was ready for a new round of nuclear talks, but Mr Ahmadinejad is the highest-ranking official to make the offer publicly.
"This is simply the continuation of a long-held line. What is significant is that Ahmadinejad was saying this readiness for talks is in no way prompted by the sanctions," Scott Lucas, an Iranian expert at Birmingham University in England, said.
Mr Ahmadinejad said sanctions would backfire because Iran has minimum trade with the EU. The European measures follows US action also aimed at limiting Tehran's ability to sell oil, which accounts for 80 per cent of Iran's foreign revenue.
"It is the West that needs Iran and the Iranian nation will not lose from the sanctions," Mr Ahmadinejad said on a visit to the southern province of Kerman.
Even so, Iranian hardliners renewed a threat to blockade the Strait of Hormuz after the EU sanctions were announced. The US has vowed to keep the vital oil trade route open.
Iranian state media picked up on a warning from the International Monetary Fund on Wednesday that, without offsets from other suppliers, global crude prices could rise by as much as 30 per cent if Iran halts oil exports as a result of US and EU sanctions.
mtheodoulou@thenational.ae
Manchester City (0) v Liverpool (3)
Uefa Champions League, quarter-final, second leg
Where: Etihad Stadium
When: Tuesday, 10.45pm
Live on beIN Sports HD
The specs: 2019 GMC Yukon Denali
Price, base: Dh306,500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 621Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.9L / 100km
Can NRIs vote in the election?
Indians residing overseas cannot cast their ballot abroad
Non-resident Indians or NRIs can vote only by going to a polling booth in their home constituency
There are about 3.1 million NRIs living overseas
Indians have urged political parties to extend the right to vote to citizens residing overseas
A committee of the Election Commission of India approved of proxy voting for non-resident Indians
Proxy voting means that a person can authorise someone residing in the same polling booth area to cast a vote on his behalf.
This option is currently available for the armed forces, police and government officials posted outside India
A bill was passed in the lower house of India’s parliament or the Lok Sabha to extend proxy voting to non-resident Indians
However, this did not come before the upper house or Rajya Sabha and has lapsed
The issue of NRI voting draws a huge amount of interest in India and overseas
Over the past few months, Indians have received messages on mobile phones and on social media claiming that NRIs can cast their votes online
The Election Commission of India then clarified that NRIs could not vote online
The Election Commission lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police asking it to clamp down on the people spreading misinformation
Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
Europe wide
Some of French groups are threatening Friday to continue their journey to Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the European Union, and to meet up with drivers from other countries on Monday.
Belgian authorities joined French police in banning the threatened blockade. A similar lorry cavalcade was planned for Friday in Vienna but cancelled after authorities prohibited it.
Remaining fixtures
Third-place-play-off: Portugal v Mexico, 4pm on Sunday
Final: Chile v Germany, 10pm on Sunday
If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2015%20PRO%20MAX
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