Salehi: negotiations on the Iranian nuclear issue may take place in Istanbul

Likely Iranian Foreign Minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, in Ankara that the negotiations have been suspended for one year between Iran and major powers on Iran's nuclear program will be held in Istanbul.

Salehi said, in comments carried by the media, «I'm not sure, but it (the negotiations) will be held in Istanbul, probably», without setting a date to it.

The Iranian minister made the remarks upon his arrival in Turkey, to attend an economic forum and bilateral talks on nuclear program, Iran's controversial.

Salehi emphasized that his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu was in contact with Secretary of State European, Catherine Ashton, the chief Iranian negotiator on the nuclear issue, Saeed Jalili, to determine when to resume bilateral negotiations, according to news agency «Anatolia».

The Iranian minister expressed his hope that the announcement of this appointment in the near future, as made clear, the Anatolia news agency.

The last round of negotiations between Iran and the 5 +1 group (the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany) held in Istanbul in January 2010, but did not lead to any result.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak, today, that any Israeli decision on attacking Iran to stop its nuclear program is still «far away».

In a statement to Israeli Army Radio said that Barack «We have not made a decision to proceed with these things. We do not have a date for a decision or to take such a decision. It's all too far ».

Asked to clarify what he meant by «far», Barak said that he does not want to be called «expectations».

In a related context, the newspaper «Haaretz» Israel, today, that «the Israeli estimate is that Iran is continuing to progress in the development of nuclear capabilities, but it has not yet reached a point that will determine where the translation of these capabilities to a nuclear weapon, which means that the headnuclear warhead on a missile ».

According to the information available to Israel, Iran has also decided when the decision to develop nuclear weapons, has also added calendars Israel that the Iranian regime «suffer under increasing threat, and perhaps unprecedented, stable, and that for the first time, there are external pressures and internal in the form of international sanctions and threats attacking nuclear facilities, as well as economic hardship and the fear of the results of parliamentary elections in March / March ».

Bertrol harbor near the Iranian city of Chabahar (monk Homafanda - Reuters)

She calendars Israel that on top of the concerns of the Iranian leadership «fear on the stability of the system, and the Israeli security services noted a concern among the leadership of the likely success of views in opposition to elections, accompanied by this fear dilemma requires that in case of election fraud, this will lead to a wave of protests, as in the aftermath of the Iranian presidential elections in June 2009 ».

The newspaper pointed out that «the Iranian regime also feared for supporters of the reforms on the support of the events of« Arab spring », which took place during which projection systems, Tunisia, Egypt and Libya,» she said, adding that «face difficulties ideology interior, although there is a camp, taking as broad, and the supporters of President Mahmoud AhmadinejadAhmadinejad, who is seeking to undermine the powers of the supreme religious leadership, especially the leader of the Islamic Republic Ali Khamenei ».

Quoted «Haaretz» An Israeli security official as saying that «Iran is a state of tension because of the events of the Arab spring, at the head Takovadtha possible fall of the (Syrian President Bashar) Assad, and in 2011 was a very bad year for the regime in Tehran».

For his part, Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, today, in a press statement, that the new Western sanctions against Iran aimed at «strangled» Iran's economy, and possibly provoke a state of popular discontent.

Lavrov pointed out that «additional unilateral sanctions against Iran has nothing to do with the desire to ensure the system's commitment to halt nuclear proliferation. The aim of significantly to strangle the Iranian economy, and the will of the people of Iran, perhaps in the hope of provoking a state of popular discontent ».

Furthermore, he warned the former director of Saudi intelligence, Turki al-Faisal, yesterday, that lead Iranian escalation in the Gulf to «misadventure», stressing the readiness of the Arab Gulf States to use all options available to defend its interests, according to what the media reported the Gulf about today .

Faisal said, in a speech at a conference on the security of the Gulf States in Manama, yesterday, said that «everyone heard maneuvers provocative carried out in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea, and statements Antria from the mouths of the leaders of Iran on the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the targeting of the neighboring countries».

The Al-Faisal that «increased escalation and permanent tension may end adventure is calculated, or a military confrontation undesirable», stressing that «the Gulf of Sete party to the conflict Iran-west of Tehran's nuclear program», but he stressed «the commitment of the Gulf Cooperation Council the full legitimacy and laws International ».

He believed al-Faisal said on Iran «not to inflame the conflict, and should not threaten us when we are committed to international resolutions, and they neutralize the issue of security of the Strait of Hormuz, and the security of international energy for this conflict», in reference to the threat of Iran's repeated closure of the Strait of Hormuz because of the sanctions on its oil sector.

(AFP, Reuters, UPI)