US insists there's still time for diplomacy with Iran

The United States has reiterated that there is still time for a diplomatic way to settle the Iranian nuclear issue, despite a growing drumbeat of war in Israel. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said that the Obama administration insisted that there remains a "window" for its strategy of pressure through punishing sanctions, adding that world power talks with Tehran could work despite the absence of a breakthrough so far. "We continue to believe there is time and space for diplomacy, the opportunity remains for Iran to take advantage of this process," Carney told reporters. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak have stiffened their rhetoric on Iran, as US President Barack Obama’s re-election bid in high gear and aides keen to avoid sudden foreign policy crises. In a possible reference to US conversations with the Netanyahu government, Carney said Washington had made it clear to its "partners" that there was sufficient time to convince Tehran to change course. "There is every reason to continue the P5 plus one talks while the time and space remains," he said. The P5 plus one process groups the permanent five members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany in painstaking negotiations with Iran. Carney’s comments came as speculation in the Israeli press about a possible strike multiplied.