U.N. Powers Delay Iran Deadline

Faced with an inability to muster U.N. Security Council support for sanctions against Iran, the United States agreed Tuesday night to set a secret deadline, reportedly October 1, for Tehran to freeze its uranium enrichment activities (see GSN, Sept. 20).

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with her counterparts from the four other permanent council members and Germany Tuesday night in New York. 

U.S. officials said she agreed to allow a diplomatic effort led by the three largest European Union nations to continue and consented to extend an August 31 deadline set by the Security Council in July. 

At that time, the council demanded Iran suspend its sensitive nuclear activities or face further council action.  Iran has so far continued to conduct uranium enrichment activities (Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, Sept. 21).

“What we have done last night is to authorize [EU foreign policy chief] Javier Solana to go anywhere at any time in order to facilitate a meeting” with the top Iranian nuclear negotiator, British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said yesterday.  “The Iranians do seem to have some quite extraordinary logistical difficulties, so perhaps Javier can overcome them by going to wherever it is that they can make themselves available” (Edith Lederer, Associated Press I/San Diego Union-Tribune, Sept. 21).

The new deadline falls in the first week of October, according to U.S. officials (Kessler, Washington Post).  Meanwhile, a European diplomat said the specific date was October 1 (Giacomo/Parsons, Reuters/Boston Globe, Sept. 20).

“We have a hard end-date in mind,” confirmed a U.S. official, but the date would be kept secret, perhaps to avoid pressure should Iran ignore this deadline as well, according to a European diplomat (Kessler, Washington Post).

Meanwhile, the EU negotiator Solana spoke yesterday by phone with his Iranian counterpart Ali Larijani and agreed to meet next week in a European capital.

One European diplomat said Solana was seeking a face-saving way for Iran to come return to talks without acceding to the U.S. demand that Tehran first freeze its nuclear program.

One possibility would be for Solana and other European representatives to initiate the talks without the United States, allowing Iran to suspend its activities after the talks began.  That in turn could open the door for U.S. officials to join the negotiations already in progress (Giacomo/Parsons, Reuters).

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton appeared to endorse the extension this morning and encouraged contact between U.S. and Iranian officials.

“If you think you might have trouble with somebody, and God forbid if you think it could lead to a military confrontation, then there needs to be the maximum amount of contact beforehand,” he told NBC’s “Today” show.

“The United States should not be afraid to talk to anyone.  They should not be reluctant and shouldn’t have too many conditions,” he added (Associated Press II/Los Angeles Times, Sept. 21).

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