(New York Times) Thomas Erdbrink - As Iran starts a critical round of talks over its nuclear program, its negotiating team may be less interested in reaching a comprehensive settlement than in buying time and establishing the legitimacy of its enrichment program, Iranian officials and analysts said. Iranians say their carefully crafted policy has helped move the goal posts in their favor by making enrichment a reality that the West has been unable to stop - and may now be willing to accept. "We have managed to bypass the red lines the West created for us," said Hamidreza Taraghi, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The West had said no to any enrichment, "but here we are, enriching as much as we need for our nuclear energy program," Taraghi said with a smile.
2012-05-15 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive