Iran Disengages on Nuclear Talks, but Not So Much in Lebanon

James Phillips / January 26, 2011

The Obama Administration’s engagement policy suffered two major defeats in recent days due to the collapse of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program, which followed the collapse of Lebanon’s pro-Western government two weeks ago.

The diplomatic dead end over Iran’s nuclear program has received the lion’s share of Western press attention. Although expectations had been low, Iran’s inflexible diplomacy sorely disappointed the few observers who still harbor hopes that a diplomatic process can be designed to resolve the simmering nuclear standoff. Tehran refused to negotiate unless all sanctions imposed on Iran were first lifted and the P5+1 recognized Iran’s right to develop a wide range of nuclear technologies, including uranium enrichment. These unacceptable preconditions for talks were appropriately rejected, and there was no public announcement of another round of talks. (more…)