Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad waves to the media as he arrives for a press conference at the presidency in Tehran on Sept. 7. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran is ready for talks with world powers over its nuclear program.
Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in Tehran last weekend. Iran, the U.S. and other nations will talk on Oct. 1.
The Obama administration, hoping to persuade Tehran to curtail its nuclear program and initiate a dialogue that focuses on other issues, will have its first formal meeting since it took office with Iran on Oct. 1.
The four other United Nations Security Council permanent members -- China, Russia, France, and the U.K. -- along with Germany will participate in the meeting, which was brokered Monday in a call between Javier Solana, the European Union's foreign-policy chief, and Saeed Jalili, Iran's main nuclear negotiator.
While the Obama administration has reversed U.S. policy by agreeing to meet on the nuclear issue without preconditions, Iran has all but ruled out talks over halting its production of reactor-grade nuclear fuel, the West's central worry.
Iran response to the talks of nuclear
"We believe that nuclear technology, the nuclear fuel cycle, nuclear energy, is our sovereign right," Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, told reporters in Vienna on Monday.
"So we have no bargaining on this," he added. "But this does not mean that within a larger framework [of] discussing nuclear issues, disarmament, peaceful uses of nuclear energy, nonproliferation . . . in this regard, yes, we are open to discussion."
In Tehran, a Foreign Ministry spokesman appeared to dampen expectations. "Talks will focus on disarmament and international concerns, not the Iranian rights enshrined by the Non-Proliferation Treaty",We have repeatedly announced that the Iranian nation is for dialogue and is ready to have it within framework of the package of proposals," said spokesman Hassan Qashqavi, referring to Iran's claim of a legitimate right to seek peaceful nuclear power, include a package of proposals intended to reduce tensions
US response to Nuclear talk with Iran
The United States will join other world powers in talks with Iran on Oct. 1, putting President Obama's "engagement" policy to a major test.
U.S. officials voiced frustration that the Iranian document ignored Washington's demand that Tehran cease enriching uranium and allow inspectors from the IAEA, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, greater access to its nuclear installations.The U.S. estimates Iran has produced enough nuclear fuel for one atomic weapon, should it be enriched further into weapons-grade material -- though it could take years for Iran to make a nuclear warhead and develop the ability to use it on a missile.
"We plan to address this issue of their not living up to their obligations head on," said State Department spokesman Ian Kelly. "We are not planning on starting a whole new process here."
Once Iran made its offer for talks last week, the US could hardly refuse to explore what Iran has in mind – especially given Mr. Obama's policy of giving diplomacy a chance. But with US officials holding out little hope for concessions from Iran on its nuclear program, the meeting may simply be setting the stage for the US to seek broader international cooperation on tougher sanctions against Tehran.
US officials insisted Monday that the door to engagement with Iran will not remain open long if Tehran sticks to its position that the talks take up everything but its nuclear program.
"It's incumbent upon us to do this, to take this opportunity," said State Department spokesman Ian Kelly Monday. [But] we are under no illusions."
William Burns, undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, will represent the US at the meeting, which will probably take place somewhere in Europe. Mr. Burns has already represented the US at meetings on Iran that included the United Nations Security Council's five permanent members plus Germany. Burns, Mr. Kelly suggested, has already been very clear with US partners that unfruitful talks – negotiations that don't quickly focus on Iran's nuclear program – can't go on long.
"Our patience isn't infinite. We're not willing to let this go on forever," said Kelly, noting that Obama has spoken of a "time period that ends this fall." Iran's contested presidential elections in June and their violent aftermath also prompted Obama to toughen his Iran policy. The US signed on to international demands that Iran either respond positively to talks on its nuclear program by the time of the UN General Assembly and the Group of 20 meeting – both next week – or face a new round of sanctions.
What results to hope for?U.S. officials have said that they hope Iran might initially agree to a "freeze for freeze" arrangement. This would entail Tehran freezing its production of nuclear fuel at current levels in exchange for the U.S. and the U.N. holding back in pursuing new economic sanctions against Iran.
"Our main concern is that any dealings with Tehran must have human-rights issues as the top, formal concern of the international community," said Hadi Ghaemi, director of the New York-based International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.Iranian officials have confirmed dozens of deaths during battles between protesters and security services after the polls.
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