World press on Iran nuclear talks (October 14, 2013)

In the center of today's international press are nuclear talks in Iran. "Nations gear up for Iran nuclear talks" is an article published today by the Los Angeles Times.

"Iran wants assurances at the talks Tuesday and Wednesday in Geneva that if it plunges into serious negotiations, it might win international approval to enrich uranium. Although uranium enriched at low levels is used to fuel civilian power plants, many nations fear that Iran, despite denials, wants to enrich it to high levels for use in bombs. But also high on the Iranians' wish list is speedy relief from international sanctions that have crippled their economy," the article reads.

"The Iranian ruling elite feels powerful public pressure to win quick relief from sanctions. Yet the legitimacy of the ruling elite is so tied to the prestigious nuclear program that the government also needs a deal that will open the way for domestic enrichment and protect most of the cherished laboratories and centrifuges," the article concludes.

The Washington Post's author, Max Fisher offers a different look at the upcoming talks in his article "Bad sign: Iran says it won’t give up its enriched uranium."

"International negotiations over Iran's nuclear program kick off in Geneva on Tuesday, and, despite all the high hopes for a breakthrough, there's already a bad sign. Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Iran would not allow its stockpiles of enriched uranium to be removed from the country. "The shipping of materials out of the country is our red line," he said," the article reads.

"Iran seems to be stepping away from a compromise, at a moment when everyone expects it to take steps toward compromise. Its position is hardening, not softening. For nuclear negotiations to work, both Iran and the West will have to compromise a bit, to take steps closer to each other's positions. Tehran just did the opposite of that. And Araghchi's language was awfully categorical" Max Fisher claims.

"Araghchi's use of the phrase "red line" is worrying. It's a very categorical way to describe Iran's position and will make it tough for Tehran to back off this demand, if indeed it is just a negotiating ploy. Given that one of the biggest challenges for a deal will be overcoming Iranian hard-liners who oppose the very idea of a compromise, that maybe just got even harder; the hard-liners can always point to Araghchi's "red line" to argue against giving up enriched uranium," Fisher concludes.