In diplomacy, you sometimes need to make a 180-degree turn from vigorously held positions. When you do so, the trick is to pretend no such thing is happening. This seems to be what's going on in Washington right now as the Bush administration is trying to explain its policy reversal on Iran. Yet it should not be so difficult for American officials to justify their decision. After all, if America ever needed a face-saving excuse to talk to Iran, it already had one earlier this year. It was not long ago that the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) produced a report indicating that Tehran had stopped its nuclear weapons program in 2003. The NIE report was a major blow for hawks

By VOA News Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has described Saturday's nuclear talks with world powers in Geneva as a step forward.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The international community must put economic and political pressure on Iran in order to help reach a breakthrough in the crisis over Tehran's nuclear program, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs said Sunday.
Admiral Michael Mullen told the Fox network he felt "encouraged by the talks" that were held Saturday in Geneva between Iranian, European and US officials as part of a bid to resolve a long-running dispute over Iran's nuclear plans.
tinue to bring pressure on Iran both economically, financially, diplomatically, politically, to continue to bring them to a point where we can all deal with this issue of nuclear weapons," Mullen said.

GENEVA, July 19 (Xinhua) - A solution to Iran's nuclear issue remains elusive after the high-level talks in Geneva on Saturday between six major powers and Iran achieved only "insufficient" progress.
Significant progress is unlikely unless the key parties involved in the issue are ready to show more flexibility and make substantial compromise, analysts say.
ons since 1979, it did not signal a significant shift in Washington's policy toward Iran.

By Fredrik Dahl TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's president described talks with world powers on its disputed nuclear programme as a step forward on Sunday, official media said, even though the meeting in Geneva failed to produce any breakthrough in the standoff.
At Saturday's discussions in the Swiss city, the six powers gave the Islamic Republic two weeks to answer calls to rein in its nuclear activities or face tougher sanctions after talks ended in stalemate despite unprecedented U.S. participation.
ian analyst said he did not believe Saturday's meeting had changed anything in the nuclear dispute and that Tehran's aim was to prolong the talks. Continued...

By Mark John and Parisa Hafezi GENEVA (Reuters) - Major powers gave Iran two weeks to answer calls to rein in its nuclear programme on Saturday or face tougher sanctions after talks ended in stalemate despite unprecedented U.S. participation.
A U.S. State Department spokesman said Washington hoped Iran now understood that it had a choice between cooperation and "confrontation, which can only lead to further isolation".
rns at the talks underlined the unity of major powers in the dispute, and stressed that patience was running out with Iran. Continued...