VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Iran has turned to Greece to convey messages to the United States regarding its contentious nuclear program and other disputes, officials said Friday. Their comments suggested Tehran might be willing to engage Washington in an effort to thwart momentum toward a U.N. Security Council resolution that could hit Iran with sanctions over its nuclear defiance.| Anything to keep us talking instead of acting. |
Athens refused to officially comment, but a senior government figure told AP his country did not deny such activity. Both he and the U.S. official demanded anonymity in exchange for commenting on the sensitive issue and declined to discuss specifics.
| Might as well now, your cover has been blown ... |
Two officials contacted by AP - both based in Vienna and familiar with the Iranian talks - said Greece was not alone in being asked to act as an intermediary over the past two years. The Iranians have made it clear that they want dialogue, and they are using every available means to deliver that message, said a senior diplomat accredited to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The trouble is, the other side is not amenable, the diplomat said.
| As it should be. Let the Iranians make the first move and put something on the table. |
Switzerland has formally represented U.S. diplomatic interests in Iran since the two countries severed ties after Iranian radicals stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979.