Iran’s nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili was scheduled to hold talks with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana yesterday on the standoff over Tehran’s atomic drive.
“There will be a telephone call today between Jalili and Solana,” Iran’s new foreign ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi said.
“Negotiations are an ongoing process and the question of deadline is media speculation,” he said.
The five permanent UN Security Council members and Germany have appointed Solana to be their liaison with Iran.
The US, however, said on Sunday that Iran has left the UN Security Council no choice but to increase sanctions on Tehran for ignoring demands that it halt sensitive nuclear activities.
The US declaration came a day after an informal deadline lapsed for Iran to respond to an offer from the five plus Germany for talks on its disputed nuclear program.
“It is clear that the government of Iran has not complied with the international community’s demand to stop enriching uranium and isn’t even interested in trying,” said Richard Grenell, spokesman for the US mission to the UN.
“They leave the Security Council no choice but to increase the sanctions, as called for in the last resolution passed,” he said.
Tehran has not formally responded to the offer. But Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday that Iran would not back down in its nuclear dispute with the powers, which have supported three rounds of Security Council sanctions.
“In whichever negotiation we take part ... it is unequivocally with the view to the realization of Iran’s nuclear right and the Iranian nation would not retreat one iota from its rights,” Ahmadinejad said in a statement.
Western officials gave Tehran two weeks from July 19 to respond to their offer not to impose more UN sanctions on Iran if it froze any expansion of its nuclear work.
That suggested a deadline of last Saturday but Iran, which has repeatedly ruled out curbing any of its nuclear activities, dismissed the idea of having two weeks to reply.
The US delegation at the UN might have to put some pressure on the rest of the council to discuss Iran again. Diplomats from some of the 14 other council members have said they would prefer not to enter into negotiations on another round of sanctions against Iran for now.
One of the main reasons for council members’ reluctance to take up Iran now is the US presidential election in November and what it could mean for US policy on Iran.
Democratic Senator Barack Obama has criticized US President George W. Bush’s handling of the issue and has promised greater engagement with Tehran.
Republican Senator John McCain has criticized Obama’s suggestion that he would pursue direct talks with Tehran.
The other reason for the council’s reluctance is that Russia and China do not want to discuss sanctions now. Diplomats say the two veto-wielding council members want to give Iran time to consider the offer of economic and political incentives in exchange for a suspension of enrichment.
Moscow and Beijing reluctantly backed all three rounds of UN sanctions against Iran but pushed hard to try to water them down beforehand in negotiations on the resolutions.
Separately, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in Tehran on Sunday that Damascus was not mediating or bringing a message from the West to Iran over its disputed nuclear plans but could play a role to help defuse the issue in future.
Assad made his comments during a two-day trip to Iran that followed a visit to Paris last month, when he told French President Nicolas Sarkozy he would use his good ties with Tehran to help resolve the atomic stand-off.
Ahmadinejad told Assad that Tehran is serious about finding a practical solution to the nuclear crisis.
“We are serious in talks and we want the talks to be based on the law so it will bear practical results. We hope that other sides are serious too,” he said in remarks broadcast live on state-run television.
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