Iran Vows No Compromise Ahead of Nuclear Talks

Iran has vowed not to compromise on its nuclear program ahead of multilateral talks scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Istanbul.

Instead, the regime says it wants the talks to focus on global political problems, claiming this could be the "last chance" for some type of agreement to be reached with the West.

Earlier this week, Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as saying, "Today, we are making progress in the nuclear field and they can say and do whatever they want. They can even issue 100,000 resolutions. Like we care."

The United States, Britain, China, France and Russia -- the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -- along with Germany are trying engage Iran in talks to resolve the problems presented by its nuclear program, which could spell catastrophe for the Middle East.

Israel and many Sunni Arab states have said they will not accept a nuclear-enabled Iran. Western countries are worried about the possibility of an arms race and the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the contentious region, along with Iran possibly transferring nuclear weapons or technology to terrorist organizations.

Recent estimates have Iran three to five years away from producing a nuclear weapon. If the Istanbul talks acknowledge that Iran has a right to pursue a civilian nuclear program, the regime says, then it would be willing to "discuss the framework for future cooperation on the basis of mutual interest."

On Saturday, Iran unveiled its latest nuclear achievements in the form of domestically produced compounds for use in nuclear fusion reactors, claiming that the material will be used for medical research, according to China's news agency, Xinhua.

According to Joe Cirincione, president of Ploughshares Fund, which seeks a nuclear-weapons-free world, the Obama administration is successfully working to delay Iran's development of the weapons. "The strategy could be called 'Engage, Sanction and Sabotage,'" Cirincione wrote in a recent op-ed article for CNN.

After Obama's initial offer of engagement was rebuffed by Iran, the reasons for strong sanctions were established, according to Cirincione. Recently, Stuxnet, an extremely sophisticated computer worm though to have been unleashed by the U.S. and Israel, reportedly disabled more than one fifth of the centrifuges Iran used to enrich uranium.

Due to the sanctions, which recently forced Tehran to scrap a long-standing energy subsidy, progress on a nuclear weapon has been delayed due to difficulties in importing the high-tech materials needed for new centrifuges, Cirincione argued.

The U.S. strategy appears to hold that the Iranian regime will implode under the debilitating effects of the sanctions and pressure from internal opposition. In the meantime, the U.S. and its allies are stepping up efforts to keep the necessary technology from reaching Iran, experts say.

At the Istanbul talks, the U.S. will push for full Iranian cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, notification of new Iranian nuclear projects, and getting nuclear inspectors better access to Iran's nuclear facilities.

A deal brokered by Turkey and Brazil in May to transfer 1.2 tons of uranium out of the country in return for nuclear fuel rods is said to not be a priority for Western diplomats, according to media reports. Turkey, which voted against sanctions for Iran at the U.N. Security Council and is accused by some of "turning away" from its traditional Western allies, is hosting the talks, but will not play a direct role.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met with Iran's acting Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi in Ankara on Monday, speaking to reporters about the upcoming talks and the crisis in nearby Lebanon. The two emphasized the need for countries in the region to mediate their affairs without interference by outside powers.

"The fate of our region is at the hands of the peoples of this region," Davutoglu said. "In any case, relations between Turkey and Iran are of utmost importance for the region's stability."