Yesterday the Obama administration announced that it would directly participate “from now on” in international talks with Iran over its nuclear program. These talks, supported by the Bush administration, were led by Britain, France, Germany Russia and China, but the U.S. did not participate. “There’s nothing more important than trying to convince Iran to cease its efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon,” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said.
The Washington Post reports this morning: “Iran offered no immediate public response to the announcement.”
Oh really?
The Guardian and others report that today, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is inaugurating the country’s first nuclear fuel production complex. This means Iran will now produce uranium fuel for its heavy-water reactor in Arak. And that means it could eventually lead to a plutonium-based nuclear weapon—in addition to any uranium-based weapons they could produce by further enriching the uranium.
Yesterday, Iran also finally charged jailed American freelance journalist Roxana Saberi with spying for the United States. This after Secretary Clinton said the U.S. passed a letter to Iranian officials last week, during meetings in the Netherlands, that asked for Iran’s help in resolving the case.
Coincidences?
Sounds like the Obama administration engagement is already paying dividends to Iran.