Iran ready to discuss its nukes?

14 Sep, 2009 18:49 / Updated 15 years ago

For the first time in more than a year, Iran has agreed to hold talks with six world powers.

On October 1 the country will meet with the Iran Six, which consists of the United States, France, Britain, Russia, China and Germany.

On Monday, a top Iranian official said that although the country is not ready to bargain over its right to have a nuclear program, it is open for any questions.

"There is no room to bargain on (our) sovereign right, but once it comes to discussions, everybody is free to pose any questions they wish," Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's nuclear energy agency, was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.

Meanwhile, many experts are convinced that Iran’s nuclear advances are dangerous.

“It is very clear, according to the reports, that they have enough now for one nuclear bomb, if they enrich it to the highest levels,” Emily Landau, Senior Research Associate in Institute for National Strategic Studies, told RT. “They will probably have enough for a second nuclear device by the beginning of 2010 and for a few more by the beginning of 2011.”

Like most Israelis, national security analyst Shmuel Gordon believes the time for talking has run out.

A former pilot who spent forty years fighting in the Israeli army, he has dedicated his life to warning politicians that the biggest fight of their life might be just around the corner.

”The choices of achieving something positive by negotiating with Iran is close to zero,” he told RT. “Maybe we should continue such negotiations for about a year or a few months, no more than that.”

Gordon added that the USA and Russia, as great powers, should make Iran stop the program.

Hussain Rooyvaran, political analyst and manager of the Association for the Defense of Palestinian People, is also convinced that talks are unlikely to bring a change.

“The US have made false statements before about Iraq and other countries,” he said. “I think these talks will not solve the Iran nuclear profile issue, because both sides talk different languages and their dialogue falls on deaf ears.”

Meanwhile, international experts warn that the consequences of Israel taking action would be disastrous.

“It would unite Shia and Sunni against the United States and the West. It would lead to Iranian support of the Taliban and Afghanistan and lead to the very rapid loss of that war by the West,” Anatol Lieven of King's College in London told RT.

“It would encourage radicalization and terrorism in many parts of the Muslim world. I can hardly imagine one single act which would be worse for relations between Islam and the West or for the West’s position in the Muslim world,” he added.

Meanwhile, Iran has warned that it is ready to defend itself if either country launches a military attack against its nuclear facilities.