The EU and Iran hold talks on Tehran's nuclear program on Wednesday but analysts say progress is unlikely after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed not to halt the project to win a suspension of U.N. sanctions.
The United States and other world powers may be ready to allow Iran to keep some of its uranium enrichment program intact instead of demanding its complete dismantling, foreign government officials said Tuesday.
Iran's unwavering defiance over its nuclear program has further dampened hopes of a breakthrough at talks with the European Union on Wednesday.
On the eve of talks between EU and Iranian officials on Iran's controversial nuclear program, the United States held firm Tuesday to demands that Iran freeze all its uranium enrichment activities.
The United States is growing increasingly skeptical of Iranian claims not to know anything about a former FBI agent missing in Iran and has stepped up diplomatic efforts to find him.
The United States is not seeking conflict with Iran and would prefer dialogue to resolve the escalating tension over Tehran's nuclear programme, the new chief of US Central Command said on Tuesday.
The police force were facing increasing criticism on Tuesday for their handling of a nationwide crackdown aimed at making women abide by Iran's Islamic dress code.
Iran on Tuesday dampened hopes of a breakthrough in crunch talks with the EU on its nuclear programme by insisting it has no intention of yielding to the West's key demand to quit uranium enrichment.
The United States is growing increasingly skeptical of Iranian claims not to know anything about a former FBI agent who went missing in Iran more than a month ago and has stepped up diplomatic efforts to find him.
Iran's president challenged President Bush to hold public talks on various global issues, though the hard-line leader declined to say if he envisioned such discussions covering nuclear issues.