Iran Snapshot: The Nuke Talks Take Over

UPDATE 1420 GMT: In the middle of Agence France Presse's report on the speech of President Ahmadinejad, this curious reference: "On Tuesday, Iran informed the six powers that it was ready for talks with them on November 23 or December 5 in Istanbul, according to a European diplomat."

Up to now, indications were that the proposed date was 15 November.

UPDATE 0910 GMT: Mahmoud, Let's Cut to the Chase. A lot of posturing by President Ahmadinejad in a speech in Qazvin in central Iran today, after he opened, "Iran is ready to hold talks on equal conditions to help settle ongoing problems, ease international concerns and establish peace and security in the world."

Ahmadinejad then warned that Iran, while welcoming any hand extended with honesty, would cut off any hand with deception and said Tehran would never allow anybody to violate its rights: "The West should sit down at the negotiating table on equal conditions based on mutual respect. Under that condition Iran can hold talks about global issues....If some of you still think of the ugly colonialist behavior, you should know that Iran's response will be the same as in the past. The Iranian nation will disappoint you from continuing to live."

Yeah, yeah. Here are the key points: 1) Ahmadinejad is setting up for the talks by portraying Iran as approaching from strength, rather than weakness; 2) the President did not rule out --- as some reports have misleadingly indicated in the last 48 hours --- a deal based on enrichment of Iran's uranium outside the country.

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Get ready for the anticipation of renewed talks on uranium enrichment to take over the media. Iran's announcement that it has sent a letter proposing/accepting the discussions for 15 November in Turkey was implicitly confirmed yesterday by the US State Department, which quietly said that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had "discussed Iran and Western Balkans today with [European Union] High Representative [Catherine] Ashton" and added that the political directors of the 5+1 Powers (US, Britain, Germany, France, Russia, and China) will confer today.

And the escalating talks of negotiation will have equally loud company in the Big Man posturing over who is most determined to resist the biggest threat (even though that threat is the country with whom they are about to negotiate).

Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki makes the latest contribution, telling Press TV that Tehran has taken legal action in the United Nations against the Israeli menace: "Our mission in New York will send a note to the secretary general of the United Nations and register this kind of threats of the [Israeli] regime in the region. The existence of this illegal regime is mixed with violation, terror, threats and aggression."

As Press TV notes, Mottaki is tangoing with the Israelis whom he has denouncing: his remarks play off Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks on his current US tour --- aided and abetted by an American media whipping up "news" over the comments of individual American Senators calling for war --- calling on Washington to pose "a credible military threat" to Tehran.

Mottaki's remarks come a day after Benjamin Netanyahu demanded Washington launch a military attack against Iran's nuclear program. Netanyahu, paying a visit to the US, said a credible military threat by the United States is the only way to deter Iran. His call was rejected by US Defense Secretary, Robert Gates.