Major powers signaled on Friday their willingness to reopen talks about curbing Iran's suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons, Reuters reports. However, the statment reads that Tehran must show it is serious about any negotiations as well.
After Teheran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz through which almost one-fifth of oil traded worldwide flows, alarmed Arab neighbors made a plea to avoid escalating the dispute over Iran's nuclear program.
While major powers stressed their openness to renewed talks, diplomats said they remain divided on their approach, notably on whether to let Iran keep enriching uranium at some level.
The group, known as the P5+1 and as the EU3+3, includes Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who represents the group, issued a statement making clear that a diplomatic path remains open to Iran despite tougher sanctions and fresh speculation of a military strike on its nuclear facilities.
On the other hand, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton struck a decidedly conciliatory tone at a news conference with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle in Washington.
"We do not seek conflict. We strongly believe the people of Iran deserve a better future," she said. "They can have that future, the country can be reintegrated into the global community ... when their government definitively turns away from pursuing nuclear weapons."
