SINGAPORE — Talks to defuse the brewing crisis over Iran's nuclear ambitions ended inconclusively last weekend. The discussions in Geneva involving China, Russia, the United States and leading European powers were followed by a warning to Tehran that it had a fortnight to respond positively or face fresh sanctions.
To pave the way for substantive negotiations, the big powers offered to suspend moves to tighten sanctions in return for a commitment from Iran not to expand its uranium-enrichment activities any further.
Tehran insists the program is not for nuclear weapons but to produce fuel for atomic reactors to generate electricity. The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany regard agreement on their "freeze-for-freeze" proposal as a necessary step before talks with Iran on a wider package of economic and diplomatic incentives.