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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Iran, Under New Strain, Makes Offer to Talk |
| 2012-01-19 |
| Iran said it was ready to return to negotiations over its nuclear program, though U.S. officials said they had yet to see proof of that claim, as some international efforts to ratchet up pressure on Tehran progressed. Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Wednesday that Iran would like to restart talks in Turkey with the diplomatic bloc of world powers that has been involved in the negotiations effort, according to news reports from Turkey. The grouping comprises the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany, and is known as the P5+1. Mr. Salehi's comments came amid heightened tensions over sanctions against Iran and a threat by Tehran to block oil trade through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route. The final decision on talks with the West and any compromise lies with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The European Union is coalescing around a July 1 start for its proposed crude-oil embargo on Iran, several diplomats said Wednesday, while Russia's foreign minister said new sanctions weren't the best route. U.S. officials said EU foreign-policy chief Catherine Ashton, who heads the P5+1 bloc, sent a letter to Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, last month requesting a resumption of talks. These officials said Wednesday that Iran had yet to respond. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #2 Tell them to negotiate through the IAEA, after they permit full, unhindered inspections of any site even suspected of involvement with nuclear anything. Would have saved Saddam a lot of trouble. |
| Posted by: Mike Ramsey 2012-01-19 14:52 |
| #1 Tell them to negotiate through the IAEA, after they permit full, unhindered inspections of any site even suspected of involvement with nuclear anything. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2012-01-19 09:32 |