Tag Archives: Amano

Diplomats hoping for Iran nuclear talks in late January

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Catherine Ashton, Vice-President of the EC, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy participates at a meeting of the E3 + 3 on the Iranian nuclear issue.
The latest on long anticipated P5+1 Iran talks: They are not happening next week, as western negotiators had been hoping.

A Western diplomat told the Back Channel Friday that efforts are now underway to  arrange a meeting at the end of the month, but cautioned that no date or venue had yet been agreed.

“Nothing confirmed,” a second, European official said Saturday.

An unnamed Russian official reportedly said Friday that nuclear negotiations would resume at the end of January in Istanbul. That followed  Russia’s lead negotiator Sergei Ryabkov criticizing the long pause in talks. Diplomats from the six world powers and Iran held three rounds of talks last spring and summer. Expectation that talks would resume shortly after the US presidential elections in November have not materialized, however, as in recent weeks Iran has not responded to at least two dates proposed by the six parties. “This becomes unclear and sends a wrong signal,” Ryabkov was cited by Itar-Tass Jan. 9.

American officials have interpreted the Iranian delay in scheduling talks to date as a potentially inauspicious sign of continued dysfunction or indecisiveness in Tehran, diplomatic sources told the Back Channel. Continue reading →

Senate letter urges Obama to toughen demands on Iran nuclear deal

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Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Joseph Lieberman (Indep.-Conn.), and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) are circulating a letter to fellow members that urges President Obama not to offer Iran any sort of concessions or sanctions relief if and until a comprehensive nuclear deal is reached. It also expresses skepticism about any nuclear deal that would allow Iran to maintain enrichment capabilities, although it doesn’t explicitly rule it out.

“First, we strongly believe there should be absolutely no diminution of pressure on the Iranians until the totality of their nuclear problem has been addressed,” the draft letter circulated to other Senators on Thursday said. “The time for limited confidence building measures is over.”

“We remain very skeptical of any proposal that would allow the current Iranian government to possess an enrichment capability in any form, given its long track record of deceptive and illicit conduct,” the letter also states. “We also believe that, at an absolute minimum, a successful resolution of the Iranian nuclear file must include the complete closure of the Fordow facility; full cooperation by Iran with the IAEA … and an extremely intrusive and comprehensive inspection regime for the foreseeable future.“

The letter also calls on President Obama to reiterate his readiness to undertake military action if Iran does not desist.

The Senate offices circulating the letter set a deadline of December 13th for signatures. That is the date that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is due to send a team to Iran for further consultations.

IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano, speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington Thursday, said the agency has a robust dialogue with Iran, but is seeking concrete results in terms of its requests for access to sites, people and information.

“We did not say Iran has nuclear weapons. We did not say it has made a decision to make nuclear weapons,” Amano said. “We have credible information that Iran has engaged in activities relevant to nuclear weapons… Without clarifying these issues,” the IAEA can’t give assurances that Iran’s nuclear program is entirely for peaceful purposes, the IAEA chief said. Continue reading →