World Powers Meet To Review Iran Strategy

The U.N. Security Council has imposed three rounds of sanctions against Iran for refusing to suspend its enrichment of uranium.

World powers met in Germany on Wednesday to review their Iran strategy, the first such meeting since U.S. President Barack Obama took office vowing to talk directly with Tehran about its nuclear programme.

Obama's Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signalled on Tuesday Washington would support "tough and direct" diplomacy with Iran at the meeting of senior officials from the United States, Russia, Britain, China, France and Germany.

But as they gathered in the western city of Wiesbaden, a representative of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed the possibility that strained ties with Washington would change under the new president.

"Opposing the Zionist regime and defending oppressed people are among the pillars of the Islamic revolution and Iran and America's relationship will not change because of Obama taking office," said the representative of the Revolutionary Guards in northwestern Zanjan province, cleric Hojjatoleslam Ali Maboudi, according to the Fars News Agency.

The U.N. Security Council has imposed three rounds of sanctions against Iran for refusing to suspend its enrichment of uranium. Western powers suspect the work is aimed at building an atomic bomb but Tehran says it is for peaceful power purposes.

Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, opposed direct talks with Iran to resolve the standoff. European countries have welcomed the policy shift under Obama and are looking for ways to support it.

OPPORTUNITY

In a contribution for the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper on Wednesday, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier called the current showdown with Iran unsustainable and said the onus was on Tehran's leaders to respond to Obama.

"I call on those responsible in Tehran to seize this opportunity," Steinmeier wrote.

Clinton, speaking on Tuesday after meeting British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, echoed that view saying: "We are reaching out a hand, but the fist has to unclench."

She added, however, that Iran would suffer consequences if it failed to comply with the demands of the United Nations and its Vienna-based nuclear watchdog.

Washington is reviewing its policy towards Iran and the Obama administration is considering a range of options to get Iran to change its behaviour.

But Iran is due to hold a presidential election in June and major powers may be inclined to wait for the results of that vote before launching concrete new steps.

For their part, Iranian officials have set tough conditions for opening dialogue with Washington after 30 years of hostility. Analysts say this could be more of a gambit to buy time for the leadership to determine how to proceed.

A day before the meeting in Germany, Iran announced it had launched a satellite into orbit for the first time, a step timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution to oust the U.S.-backed Shah.

The White House voiced "acute concern" over Iran's actions but Hassan Qashqavi, a spokesman for the foreign ministry in Tehran, said the launch was for scientific purposes and reiterated that nuclear work would continue.