Iran Welcomes Nuclear Talks

Negotiator: Talks Aimed at "Constructive Cooperation"

Iran’s top nuclear negotiator announced on the nation’s state television today that they will support the proposed nuclear talks with the P5+1, and says that those talks should be aimed at “constructive cooperation” between the nations.

Last week, the United States announced that for the first time it would act as a “full participant” in the talks, a sign that the Obama Administration will finally, despite the objections of some high ranking officials, pursue direct diplomacy with the Iranian government.

The talks will also be important in that yesterday, Israeli President Shimon Peres said that if they did not get the Iranian government to “soften” their stance, Israel would attack.

At issue is Iran’s civilian nuclear energy program, and the uranium enrichment program associated with it, which some Western officials claim is a cover for a weapons program. The IAEA says Iran doesn’t have the capability to make nuclear weapons, nor is it diverting any uranium from its civilian program to any such purpose.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.