How many chances has Iran had? How many deadlines has it ignored in the past? There’s nothing to suggest this time will be different, and deadlines seem to be in plentiful supply — certainly more so than backbones. “Iran given one last chance to talk on nuclear programme,” by Richard Spencer and Alex Spillius for the Telegraph, September 28:
Western diplomats said they would listen to what the Iranians had to say before contemplating tougher sanctions.
But after a week of worsening relations, there was little hope there would be an encouraging commitment to meaningful negotiation.
Tehran continued to increase tensions on onday by carrying out long-range missile tests, which were condemned as “reprehensible” by David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary.
His officials said they were intended to distract attention from the revelation that Iran was secretly building a plant to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons.
Javier Solana, foreign policy representative for the European Union and its chief negotiator for the talks, described the tests as a “concern”, while a French foreign ministry statement said Iran should stop the “destabilising activities”.
William Burns, the undersecretary of state for political affairs, will become the first American diplomat to talk directly to Iranians in 30 years.
Aides to President Barack Obama have made it clear that if they do not receive a clear message of co-operation, then discussions about more stringent sanctions will begin urgently.
Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State, said the Iranians had to “prove” rather than simply “assert” that their nuclear programme was merely intended for peaceful purposes.
“We’re exploring how you broaden and deepen sanctions. Now, sanctions are already in place, but, like many sanction regimes, they’re leaky,” she said.
Robert Gates, the Defence Secretary, has said that “severe sanctions” could “have some real impact” because of soaring unemployment and simmering opposition to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s disputed June election victory.
A Western official said: “We want to see how Iran approaches the meeting – then we get into a discussion of further sanctions. We will get into that discussion after the meeting because we will have to absorb what the Iranians tell us.”
The Iranians will again be offered a “freeze for a freeze” deal – a freeze on introducing more enrichment centrifuges in return for a freeze on new sanctions. Iran will also be expected to show it is prepared to negotiate directly on the nuclear issue without trying to change the subject.
Next deadline:
The offer would be “time limited”, said a diplomat, “that would allow for a limited period of talks about the serious outstanding issues”….