US official says ‘intense negotiations’ under way with Iran but sanctions remain an option

October 5th, 2009 Cabinet secretaries: Iran talks a limited successWASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton say last week's historic joint talks with Iran were a limited success. Clinton says the session in Geneva yielded three agreements that buy time for the U.S.

September 25th, 2009 Sarkozy gives Iran December deadlinePITTSBURGH — French Prime Minister Nicolas Sarkozy says Iran faces possible new international sanctions if it doesn't come clean on its nuclear program by December. Sarkozy said that Iran was in clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions in building a second plant to manufacture nuclear fuel and trying to hide if from the world for years.

September 25th, 2009 China dismisses punishment for Iran nuke facilityPITTSBURGH — China on Friday batted down the notion of punishing Iran with additional sanctions for developing a secret nuclear facility, saying negotiations are a better way of dealing with Tehran. Chinese officials told reporters at the G-20 economic summit that Iran should cooperate with the U.N.

September 24th, 2009 Israel welcomes Russian stand on Iran sanctionsJERUSALEM — A senior Israeli official welcomes steps by Russia toward endorsing additional sanctions against Iran as a way of stopping its nuclear program. Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon said Russian President Dmitry Medvedev opened the door to a firm international stand against Iran.

September 23rd, 2009 Russian leader open to new Iran nukes sanctionsNEW YORK — Giving some ground on a top priority of President Barack Obama, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday that sanctions are rarely productive but he opened the door to tougher ones to halt Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program. "In some cases, sanctions are inevitable," the Russian leader said after he and Obama held talks on the sidelines of the U.N.

September 23rd, 2009 Reports: Moscow not ruling out new Iran sanctionsMOSCOW — Russian news agencies are citing an official in the Russian delegation in New York as saying Moscow does not rule out new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programs. The reports are the first indication that Russia could support additional measures to punish Iran for its defiance of the international community.

September 23rd, 2009 NEW YORK - Major world powers Wednesday said they expected a serious response from Iran to the international community's concerns over its nuclear programme when the sides meet for talks Oct 1. US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed to keep up pressure on Iran and left open the possibility of further sanctions during a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

September 23rd, 2009 Obama, Russian leader hold talks over Iran nukesNEW YORK — Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says sanctions are rarely productive but opened the door to tougher ones to halt Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program. After meeting with President Barack Obama in New York, the Russian leader told reporters "in some cases sanctions are inevitable." Obama's top priority in his sit-down with Medvedev was Iran's nuclear ambitions.

September 23rd, 2009 NEW YORK - Russia and the US have agreed to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue through diplomatic efforts, but new sanctions still a possibility if Iran does not respond. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said he and his US counterpart Barack Obama had given full attention to Iran's nuclear dossier at their meeting and that Russia was ready to continue cooperation with Washington on Iran's nuclear issue.

September 17th, 2009 Russian FM says no new sanctions on IranMOSCOW — Russia's foreign minister says Moscow firmly opposes any new sanctions against Iran. Sergey Lavrov says new tougher sanctions would ruin hopes for solving the Iranian nuclear program through talks.

September 15th, 2009 EU: Meeting on Iran nuclear issue likely in TurkeyBRUSSELS — Talks on Iran's nuclear program will likely be held in Turkey and full U.S. participation may lead to progress in the negotiations, a senior EU official said Tuesday.

August 31st, 2009 BERLIN - German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy Monday called for tougher sanctions against Iran, if the country fails enter talks on its nuclear programme ahead of a September deadline. "We have supported (US) President Obama's outstretched hand to the Iranian leaders, but this hand cannot remain extended indefinitely to leaders who do not respond," Sarkozy added.

April 30th, 2009 Officials downplay military options vs IranWASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the military option for forcing Iran to halt its nuclear program would be just temporary and ineffective and that sanctions make more sense. Gates told Senate appropriators Thursday that a military attack on Iran would merely send that country's nuclear program further underground.

March 13th, 2009 WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama Thursday extended US sanctions for at least another year, saying the Iranian government's policies continue to pose an 'extraordinary threat' to the US. The US enacted tight sanctions on Iran following the 1979 hostage crisis and they have remained in place since.

March 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Iran is keeping open the option to develop nuclear weapons, the US director of national intelligence said Tuesday. In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Dennis Blair said: 'Although we do not know whether Iran currently intends to develop nuclear weapons, we assess Tehran at a minimum is keeping open the option to develop them.' 'Iran does not currently have a nuclear weapon' because it lacks weapons-grade highly enriched uranium, but it could obtain enough as early as 2010, Blair said.