Making one more attempt to talk first to determine the seriousness of Iran's interest in negotiation seems reasonable.
Quote:
n coordination with allies, Washington said today it would accept Iran's offer of comprehensive talks, to test out if Iran was serious about negotiations.
The U.S. announcement came as China and Russia said they weren't prepared to support new sanctions on Iran at this time given Tehran's written proposal this week. Iran's offer for comprehensive talks was made in a formal, five-page written response delivered to ambassadors in Tehran this week.
"The United States and five partner countries have decided to accept Iran's new offer to hold talks, even though Iran insists it will not negotiate over its disputed nuclear program," State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said at the State Department briefing today, as cited by the AP.
"The ball is in Iran’s court whether it is prepared to seriously engage in the nuclear issue, as well as others," Crowley said in a further statement by email. "We are following a two-track strategy along with our partners in the P5+1 process – engagement and pressure. Iran’s response will feed into the stock-taking that the President indicated we will make. If Iran refuses to engage seriously, we will take that into account."
http://www.politico.com/blogs/laurar...s.html?showall
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If talks are unproductive...proceed with sanctions.
Makes sense to me.
Quote:
"Look, I actually think there is some stuff in there … a small opening," said the National Iranian American Council's Trita Parsi. "Fundamentally," he added, he thinks the administration is "not seeing it as a complete rejection. But at the same time, I am not going to characterize it as a positive opening per se. There is a small crack there, [and] there seems to be a willingness to explore it."
Parsi noted that the White House seems to have negotiated an extra couple weeks -- into October -- in which to test out the seriousness of the engagement offer before key Congress members push through Congressional legislation further sanctioning Iran.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/laurar...t.html?showall
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