The Iranian government announced Monday afternoon that it will gladly engage in direct talks with Western states on its nuclear program, but refused to bend to the strict, preset timeline put forth by the United States. This comes in response to US demands that a deadline by put on nuclear talks.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said in his weekly newspaper debriefing in Tehran that Ahmadinejad's government is interested in dialogue. Iranian news agency Fars quoted Qashqavi as saying that his country "will not agree to any limitation" on the timeline of negotiations.
Qashqavi reiterated that the Islamic Republic is not seeking weapons of mass destruction and that "there is no place for nuclear weapons" in Iran's defense strategy. Therefore, said Qashqavi, "Iran is prepared to work with the rest of the countries in order to solve the world's problems."
US President Barack Obama declared even during his elections campaign last year that he is interested in opening the dialogue track with Iran. Senior officials in the Obama administration recently warned that Obama's diplomacy offer has an expiration date that will lapse if it goes unanswered by Tehran.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said in his meeting with Defense Minister Ehud Barak that the US expects to receive a response from Tehran prior to the UN General Assembly session next month.
Secretary of State Hilary Clinton also reiterated America's commitment to a non-nuclear Iran in her interview Sunday with CNN, saying that the Obama administration's policy has not changed and still would not accept a nuclear Iran.