29 Mar 2024
Monday 1 October 2012 - 15:34
Story Code : 6502

Ahmadinejad suggests progress on nuclear talks after U.S. election

Ahmadinejad suggests progress on nuclear talks after U.S. election
By The Wall Street Journal

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday suggested international talks over the countrys nuclear program could make some headway after the U.S. presidential elections, injecting himself into a campaign where both candidates are seeking to take a hard line against the prospect of a nuclear-armed Tehran.

Mr. Ahmadinejad, speaking on CNNs Fareed Zakaria GPS, said he didnt want to say anything that may appear to be meddling in the U.S. election when asked whether President Barack Obama might be bluffing about preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. But he predicted progress wouldnt be made in seven-nation talks over Irans nuclear program before the U.S. votes in November.

Following the elections, certainly the atmosphere will be much more stable and important decisions can be made and announced, said Mr. Ahmadinejad. At that point, he hopes to take some steps forward with the P5+1 group the U.S., China, Russia, Britain, France plus Germany.

Republican challenger Mitt Romney has sought to portray Mr. Obama as soft on Iran and disrespectful of Israel as an ally. However, the campaign has had trouble showing how his policy on Iran would differ much from the presidents.

Paul Ryan, Mr. Romneys running mate, said the main difference is credibility.

The president has moved his rhetoric a bit to look more like ours, and thats good, Mr. Ryan said on Fox News Sunday. But the problem is its built upon a mountain of non-credible actions,such as showing a policy differences with Israel and resistance to tougher sanctions.

David Plouffe, a senior White House adviser, defended the presidents policies toward Israel on ABCs This Week, saying he has remained in close contact with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and has led an unprecedented international effort to tighten sanctions.

Mr. Ahmadinejad continued to dismiss the impact of the sanctions, claiming that many European companies are skirting the rules to do trade with Iran.

Of course, were not fans of sanctions, but if anyone thinks that sanctions will bring Iran to her knees, they are certainly mistaken, he said.

 

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