Tehran anger causes nuclear talks delay
At the last minute, Iran was a no-show at crucial talks today meant to ease its stand-off with the West over its nuclear programme.
Tehran cited its annoyance over the activities of exiled opposition groups as the reason for the unexpected 24-hour delay, EU officials said.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana expressed surprise at Tehran’s request for a postponement of his scheduled meeting with Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani today.
Major powers have called on Iran to suspend enrichment for the duration of any negotiations.
Solana’s spokeswoman Cristina Gallach said the first indication of a postponement came when Iranian diplomats in Brussels complained about the intensified activities in EU-member countries of opponents of the theocratic regime.
In a telephone conversation with Solana last night, Larijani prposed moving their meeting to next Tuesday, she said.
“But Mr Solana asked him to come at an earlier date because time is of the essence.”
