US seems to rule out 'timeout' between Iran, West

The United States appeared to rule out on Monday a proposal by the head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency aimed at helping the West and Iran avert a rush to war over Tehran's nuclear program.

Mohamed ElBaradei, director-general of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, has proposed a "Timeout" in the confrontation between Tehran and the UN Security Council under which Iranian nuclear work and U.N. Sanctions on Tehran would be simultaneously suspended. (Reuters)