Iran nuclear talks set to begin

Six world powers are to begin talks with Iran aimed at ending the deadlock over Tehran's nuclear programme. Officials from the US, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany hope the talks, in the Turkish city of Istanbul, halt rising tensions in the region. Iran says its nuclear programme is peaceful, but critics suspect it of seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Israel has hinted in recent months that it could carry out a pre-emptive strike on Iran to prevent that happening. On Thursday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his country was "standing firm on its fundamental rights and under the harshest pressure will not retreat an iota from its undeniable right". 'Renewing confidence' Few major developments are expected in Istanbul, but the six nations, known collectively as the P5+1, hope it will reopen negotiations and cool tensions. They have urged Tehran to engage seriously in the talks, with US President Barack Obama describing it as the "last chance" for diplomacy to work. Russia said the talks had to be "constructive", and warned both sides not to "overblow the differences" between them. "We really need to find a middle course," said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. "The negotiations are about renewing confidence." US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Iran had to "demonstrate clearly in the actions they propose that they have truly abandoned any nuclear weapons ambition". The P5+1 hope eventually to persuade Iran to reduce its enrichment of uranium and fully open up its nuclear facilities to inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). There are suggestions that the stringent sanctions on Iran could be reduced if it complies with the requests. The last series of international talks broke down in January 2011 after the parties failed to agree on any issues. Since then, the IAEA expressed concern that Iran had failed to co-operate with its inspectors and had carried out activities "relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device". Israel, which believes a nuclear-capable Iran would be a direct threat to its security, has warned that time is running out to prevent that outcome. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he would never allow Israelis to "live in the shadow of annihilation", and hinted his country is ready to strike Iran's nuclear facilities if diplomacy does not work soon. US President Barack Obama has warned against "loose talk of war", while stressing that all options remain open. From: BBC