White House, Israel: There Are No Iran Talks

Contrary to the New York Times' popular belief, both the White House and Israel say there is no deal for one-on-one talks between the US and Iran, reports Bloomberg, citing a National Security Council spokesman. While the US remains open to such talks, “It’s not true that the United States and Iran have agreed to one-on-one talks or any meeting after the American election,” says Tommy Vietor in a statement. Meanwhile, Haaretz adds that Israel says it knows nothing of any such deal.

The Times had reported that the two sides had agreed "in principle" to talks after the US presidential election, citing anonymous administration sources. The hot topic of Iran and its nuclear ambitions raises its head just before the final debate between President Obama and Mitt Romney tomorrow night; the focus is foreign policy. (More Iran stories.)