Saturday, January 22, 2011

Istanbul Talks End in Failure – New Crisis in Iran’s Relations with Major Powers

The talks in Istanbul between Iran and six major powers over Iran’s nuclear program ended today without any agreements. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the six countries were “disappointed,” blaming Iran for not being pragmatic during the talks. Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili complained that the opposing side had ganged up on Iran while accepting a nuclear Israel. The undiplomatic language used by Ashton and Jalili in their separate press conferences after the talks indicate a new crisis phase in the relationship between Iran and the major powers over the country’s nuclear program.

10 comments:

reader said...

Depressing news indeed. I suppose things have to get a lot worse before they get any better. Iran has no choice but to speed up the fuel enrichment, invest in its defence forces and most importantly stop alienating the western public opinion. Please, please no more Ashtiani affair, no more gaffes like “wiping Israil off the map” even though it was never meant that way and no more unjust sentencing of artists and film directors like Panahi. Six years for a man who voiced an opinion through his art, never committed a crime or act of violence??!! Ordinary Iranians are paying a heavy price for wanting to remain a proud and independent nation but the price has to be right and just.

Anonymous said...

Irrational demands by the gang of 3 (US/UK/FR).

Iran has to stand firm.

Anonymous said...

Good for Iran,

bless Iran

Anonymous said...

It doesn't sound like anything new was seriously put forward.

It does sound like the West may have believed its own rhetoric that their new round of sanctions were "biting" and that Iran might cave. If so, they do not understand the Iranian mentality. Nor do they get the lesson of the Iran-Iraq War: if major powers pit themselves against Iran (again), Iran will remain steadfast and defend itself upon a position of moral high ground.

It appears that the Dennis Ross strategy of negotiation in bad faith and increased efforts at coercion will continue to proceed, as planned.

Chances of a disastrous war for all involved including the US and world economy are 50/50 during the next 6 years. This is what happens when the special interests of Zionism effectively takes over and assumes a superpower's foreign policy.

Anonymous said...

These EU criminals, particularly the puny Brit lapdogs had no intention of ever holding genuine talks with Iran on any issue. The US/Zionist agenda is the total subjugation of Iran.

The despised war crminal Tony B-LIAR is already baying for Iranian blood on the bidding of his Zionist masters. Iran's only option is to develop a credible nuclear option as a 100% guarantee of its security like North Korea. These Zionist cowards only respect STRENGTH and DETERRANCE.

Kemjika said...

Iran is advantaged by the postponment of a peace agreement between US+EU and Iran.Iran is a regional power, and it seems not to want to be bullied or humiliated in the world's public eye. Is a war eminent? I honestly predict clashes between iranian and US forces sooner or later with both sides not giving in. If the US attacks Iran,Iran will take hits, but will be sure to keep the US bogged down for a while.The US knows it, and doesn't have the resources of means to hold that predicament off.The US has to humbly negotiate with Iran and thats in the US' interest. Actually the US is showing for a while now that it is not an effective or honest arbitrar of issues. Palestine-israel issue is talled, Iran-Us issues are stalled, NOrth Korea-South Korea issues are stalled, US-China issues are also stalled. the US is quite a bully and more people in teh world are taking on it and weaking it. VEnezuela,Iran,SYria,CHina all know the US can't fight them at the same time. Gang-up-on-US type wars are probably gonna happen in the future.Either way, Iran seems to be holdign still and the sanctions are obviously not killing IRan. Iran is blessed with resources and brains-it is a futile attempt to try to choke off its power or status.

Mark Pyruz said...

Here's the demand the Iranians were intended to reject in these talks (from Reuters):

The agency reports, from a “Western diplomat”, that European Union foreign policy representative Catherine Ashton, speaking for the 5+1 Powers (US, UK, Germany, China, Russia, France) proposed that Iran send abroad 2,800 kilogrammes of low-enriched (3-4%) uranium and 40 kilogrammes of 20% uranium.

As Iran, according to Reuters, has a stockpile of “more than 3000 kilogrammes” of low-enriched uranium, the 5+1 Powers were effectively telling Iran that up to 90% of its uranium stock should be sent outside the country for processing.

It appears the Dennis Ross approach at providing Iran offers intended to be rejected has successfully taken hold of the negotiation process, the eventual aim of which could be a Western imposed war on Iran.

WMD said...

Both sides showed up at the talks all "hedged up": the west with their explicit (and implied) success stories of sanctions (, sabotage and assassinations) and Iran with its "last chance for a swap deal before we succeed in making our own fuel plates(19%) and rods(5%)".

Well, now it's time for Iran to urgently put its money where its mouth is and invalidate at least part of the worn-out "we can't trust you with enrichment" narrative.

Otherwise war will certainly be a distinct possibility as Mark Pyruz writes, probably in Lebanon again where the designs of "the Empire" have taken a turn for the worse with Jumblatt doing the honorable and courageous thing to change sides at last.
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Anonymous said...

Who died and put a third-rate British poodle like ugly Ashton in-charge of the "international community"? She was and a is an ignorant low level bureaucrat and now seems to be speaking for the EU and running their "foreign policy". Most of EU is bankrupt like the US anyway.

Anonymous said...

Middle East peace talks are and have been and shall be a failiur.

Irans chit chat with a bunch of old and wearing powers over a non existant threat about a non existant program is certainly not a failiur.

illuminati