Dubai: As the cycle of official warnings between the US and Iran continued yesterday, the two countries engaged on another front: possible negotiations.
While Iranian officials confirmed reports of Washington's attempt to bring Tehran to the negotiation table, the American denied any discussions were under way for resuming talks with Iran.
But according to political experts, each side is attempting to make the other to hold talks without any preconditions.
"[US President Barack] Obama sent a letter to Iranian officials, but America has to make clear that it has good intentions and should express that it's ready for talks without conditions," Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said in English during a visit to Turkey.
"Out in the open they show their muscles but behind the curtains they plead to us to sit down and talk. America has to pursue a safe and honest strategy so we can get the notion that America this time is serious and ready," he added in a interview with Turkey's NTV broadcaster.
Salehi renewed Tehran's threats to its Arab neighbours of the consequences of putting themselves in a "dangerous position" through adopting the American stand in the escalating tension over Tehran's nuclear programme.
But Washington denied any discussions about resuming talks with Iran. However, they declined to comment on the letter which Obama had sent to the Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
"There are no current talks about talks," US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland was quoted as saying on Wednesday.
"What we are doing, as we have said, is making clear to the Iranians that if they are serious about coming back to a conversation, where they talk openly about their nuclear programme, and if they are prepared to come clean with the international community, than we are open to that," she said.
The Islamic Republic has wanted to discuss only broader international security issues with the powers up to now.
The US and other Western powers expressed readiness to talk to Iran only if Tehran agrees to discuss halting its uranium enrichment programme — a demand rejected by Tehran, which called for talks "without conditions"
Political experts believe the recent tension between Iran and the West came as Tehran seems to be closer to a "nuclear breakout". While a military conflict seems too far, at present, the West, the analysts noted, is pressuring Iran with sanctions in order to make it head to the negotiation table with no conditions.
"A war is not in anybody's interest," said Mohammad Abbas Naji, an Egyptian expert in Iranian affairs.
"The West is imposing sanctions on Iran to force Tehran to come to the negotiations table without any conditions…….. [on the other hand] the Iranians will not make concrete and major concessions in its nuclear programme unless it feels the war is coming tomorrow," Naji said.
Quake hits Neyshabur
An earthquake hit north-eastern Iran yesterday but there were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage. The 5.5 magnitude quake hit at 4:05 p.m, 10 km outside the city of Neyshabur which is some 70 km away from city of Mashhad, the official Irna news agency said.
"There have been no reports of casualties yet," Red Crescent official Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh told Fars news agency.
