Kerry Mulls Iran Visit

Tehran dismisses idea of last-ditch talks on nuclear program
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 24, 2009 1:21 AM CST
Kerry Mulls Iran Visit
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. John Kerry takes part in a hearing on the Al-Qaeda threat in Pakistan and Afghanistan.   (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

John Kerry is weighing plans to become the highest-ranking American emissary to visit Iran in over 30 years. White House officials won't oppose the visit, aimed at brokering an agreement on Iran's nuclear program. "This sounds like the kind of travel a chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee would—and should—undertake," said an official. But Tehran is dismissive of the idea and the regime's opponents fear it will send the wrong message, the Wall Street Journal reports.

President Obama has given Iran until the end of the year to respond to calls for talks on its nuclear program before further sanctions are imposed, and analysts believe that the window for diplomacy is rapidly closing. American policy toward Iran hasn't changed under President Obama, leaving Iran with "no reason to believe in negotiations," a senior Iranian lawmaker told state-run Press TV. (More John Kerry stories.)

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