President-elect Barack Obama wants to reshape U.S. dealings with a nuclear-ambitious Iran, but should he offer unconditional talks or get tougher first?
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Mere Atmospheric Change in Obama’s Foreign Policy:
After Barack Obama’s victory in the U.S. presidential elections last week, discussions about what direction an Obama/Biden Administration is likely to follow are gaining momentum. ››read more

Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich, an independent researcher on U.S. foreign policy in Iran, discusses the worldwide goodwill Obama has already squandered with his hawkish appointments, the U.S.’s double standard when it comes to nuclear non-proliferation, ordinary Iranians’ desire to be left alone to form their own government, and how neocons like Max Boot support fomenting factional conflicts to provoke an Iranian overreaction. ››read more

Modest openings to Tehran and to Havana are better left to the incoming Obama administration to use as wedges for change, rather than handled as endings — and legacy — for Bush.
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A senior Iranian official has warned that any country that acts as a launch pad for a war against Iran will face retaliation. ››read more

Israeli Air Force Commander General Ido Nehushtan claims his forces are ready to follow any order to thwart Iran's nuclear programs. ››read more

Turkey's PM Tayyip ErdoganWhilst we are of this view, it is also paramount that if Iran is actually building nuclear weapons of mass destruction, those who are telling Iran 'not to' should not possess these nuclear weapons in the first place. You have them and you are telling the other party not to have them. It is only natural that the other party will react defensively, every country would do the same. I see this as a dilemma. We should all get together and review this approach first. ››read more

Among the many challenges that will greet President-elect Obama when he takes office, there are few, if any, more urgent and complex than the question of Iran. There are also few issues more clouded by myths and misconceptions. In this Joint Experts' Statement on Iran, a group of top scholars, experts and diplomats - with years of experience studying and dealing with Iran - have come together to clear away some of the myths that have driven the failed policies of the past and to outline a factually-grounded, five-step strategy for dealing successfully with Iran in the future. ››read more

Scott RitterAs Iran heads toward a presidential election in the coming year, the United States—and the Obama administration—would achieve better and longer-lasting results by seeking solutions geared toward resolving the legitimate issues at play in the region, rather than creating short-term sound bites here at home. A clean break with the neoconservative policies of the Bush administration is a prerequisite for success, and achieving this requires great imagination and courage. President-elect Barack Obama has demonstrated the potential for both of those qualities. I hope that promise is realized. ››read more

Gareth PorterThe caches that included Iranian weapons thus represented just 2 percent of all caches found. That means Iranian-made weapons were a fraction of one percent of the total weapons found in Shi'a militia caches during that period [i.e. between mid-February and the second week in April 2008-Editor].
The extremely small proportion of Iranian arms in Shi'a militia weapons caches further suggests that Shi'a militia fighters in Iraq had been getting weapons from local and international arms markets rather than from an official Iranian-sponsored smuggling network. ››read more

TEHRAN, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Tehran on Saturday asked Washington to change its policy towards Iran before holding talks between the two sides, saying "the talks is not the main issue, what is important is the change of U.S. policy towards Iran." ››read more

MOSCOW (AFP) — Russia is against fresh sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear programme as demanded by some Western powers, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Riabkov said on Friday. ››read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Barack Obama, plotting his strategy on Iran, is getting this advice from a panel of American diplomats and other experts: Don't pile on economic and military threats; it doesn't help. ››read more

The new US administration must resolve Iran's nuclear issue and address it without any delays."
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President-elect Obama: You were elected, not selected. You have the mandate of the people to do what is right. As a constitutional law scholar you must surely empathize with George Washington’s celebrated Farewell Address to the American people in which he urged Americans to avoid taking sides in foreign disputes. The first of many presidents to do so, he urged Americans to be in impartial in commercial relations with the world but "have with them as little political connection as possible." President John Adams was a non-interventionist also. Thomas Jefferson called for "peace, commerce, and honest friendships with all nations, entangling alliances with none". Sir, in the spirit of these great presidents, I ask you to call for peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none. Sir, let the White House that you occupy be free of foreign influence and hostilities. ››read more

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's president is attracting some support at home for his message of congratulations to U.S. President-elect Barack Obama, which several newspaper commentaries said Tuesday presented an important opportunity.
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Washington, Nov 11 (PTI) The incoming Barack Obama's administration is exploring a new legal strategy to the war in Afghanistan, that could include possible talks with Iran and favouring nascent dialogue between Kabul and "reconcilable" elements of the Taliban. ››read more

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has obtained evidence suggesting that documents which have been described as technical studies for a secret Iranian nuclear weapons-related research program may have been fabricated. ››read more

Iran - and obviously all its supporters in the region - no less than any moderates, has an interest in a just settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict in all its aspects, a region free of weapons of mass destruction, a stable and prosperous Iraq and normal and open relations across the region. War, confrontation and domination from outside the region will never achieve those goals. Dialogue based on mutual respect and recognition might. Let it be tried as an alternative to military adventurism and diplomatic lawlessness. ››read more

QashqaviTEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's Foreign Ministry dismissed on Monday comments by U.S. President-elect Barack Obama about Tehran's disputed nuclear ambitions and said it did not expect any major change in the policies of its old foe. ››read more