Iran Agrees to Nuclear Talks, EU Confirms

US Poised to Offer Even Worse Deal than Last Year

Though European Union offers for international talks and public acceptances by Iran have come and gone several times over the past few weeks, the European Union took the unique step today of confirming that Iran’s acceptance this time actually counts.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council sent its letter straight to the EU foreign policy chieff Catherine Ashton this time, reporting that Iran was ready to hold talks at any place and time convenient to both sides. EU officials had insisted previous acceptances didn’t count, and then accused Iran of never responding.

But where the talks will go, if anywhere, remains to be seen. The Obama Administration is said to be planning a seriously revised version of last year’s third party enrichment deal, but will offer Iran even worse terms than the last time.

Which is particularly problematic because the last third party enrichment deal was accepted by Iran a few months after the talks and then angrily rejected by the US. It was revised yet again when Turkey attempted to broker the deal again, and was once again condemned by the US. This leaves in serious doubt whether the acceptance of a new offer will end with a functioning deal or just another round of angry condemnations.

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.