Iran Waffles on Nuke Deal

(NEWSER) - The US wants to be a direct party to nuclear talks between Iran and the UN, CNN reports. Washington had stayed away from earlier negotiations because it has no diplomatic relationship with the country, but the State Department said today it had asked an EU official to invite Iran to a sit-down with the UN Security Council. Iran has not heeded UN demands that it halt enrichment of uranium, which it says it will use for civil purposes. More»

Nation may have reached its goal

(NEWSER) - Iran has likely taken its nuclear program as far as it wants to and the nation may be willing to make a deal with the US and its allies this month, analysts say. The country has developed the capability to create and deliver a nuclear weapon without actually making it, which many believe was its goal all along. "Iran has all the advantages of actual possession of a bomb without any of the unpleasant consequences of the sort North Korea is suffering,” one expert notes. More»

Jerusalem gets what Obama doesn't, writes ex-UN ambassador

(NEWSER) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates was in Jerusalem recently to dissuade Israel from attacking Iran, but according to John Bolton, "relations between the US and Israel are more strained now than at any time since the 1956 Suez Canal crisis." Israel understands what the Obama administration does not—the Iranians are churning ahead with their weapons program, and no diplomacy can stop them. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Bolton writes with approval that Israel will probably strike "by year's end." More»

(NEWSER) - Hillary Clinton said today that the US is “laying the groundwork” for sanctions against Iran if it doesn’t participate in nuclear talks, the BBC reports. The secretary of State said a rebuff of US overtures or continued enrichment would lead to a “very tough” response. Iran is engaged in discussions with other nations and has continued to enrich uranium despite UN sanctions. More»

(AP) - Iran's president said today he is willing to build a new relationship with the United States, adding that he is preparing new proposals aimed at breaking the impasse with the West over his country's nuclear program. "The Iranian nation is a generous nation," Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a rally. "It may forget the past and start a new era, but any country speaking on the basis of selfishness will get the same response the Iranian nation gave to Mr. Bush." More»