Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

White House set to begin diplomatic talks with Iran over alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons

 

Ap
Sunday 21 October 2012 03:22 EDT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The White House said it is prepared to talk one-on-one with Iran to find a diplomatic settlement to the impasse over Tehran's reported pursuit of nuclear weapons, but there is no agreement now to meet.

National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said that President Barack Obama has made clear that he will prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and will do whatever's necessary to prevent that from happening.

Mr Vietor said Iran must come in line with its obligations, or else faced increased pressure.

"The onus is on the Iranians to do so, otherwise they will continue to face crippling sanctions and increased pressure," Mr Vietor said in a statement.

He noted that efforts to get Iran back to the table with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany - the so-called P5+1 - continue.

Iran has been a recurring issue in the presidential election campaign and Mr Vietor's statement was released shortly after The New York Times reported that the US and Iran have agreed in principle for the first time to negotiations.

The paper said Iran has insisted the talks wait until after the November 6 election.

Mr Vietor, however, denied that any such agreement had been reached.

"It's not true that the United States and Iran have agreed to one-on-one talks or any meeting after the American elections," he said.

"We continue to work with the P5+1 on a diplomatic solution and have said from the outset that we that we would be prepared to meet bilaterally."

AP

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in