Iran is now proposing that the next round of talks between Tehran and the P5+1 group, aimed at increasing transparency around the country’s atomic program, be held in Cairo. Arabic media reports indicate that Egypt is uninterested in hosting the talks, and a spokesperson for the European Union’s Catherine Ashton implied that Iran’s offer was unserious. Analysts are increasingly voicing concerns that the Iranians are issuing unrealistic proposals and stalling for time in order to move closer to acquiring a nuclear weapon. Ashton’s spokesman expressed surprise at the Iranian move, noting “Iran [has] come back to us again and again with new pre-conditions on the modalities of the talks, for example by changing the venue and delaying their responses.”

[Photo: WorldNews2013i / YouTube]