LITTLE CHANCE TO BREAK THE CURRENT IMPASSE

    An obvious turning point for EU policy on Iran's nuclear case was the statement issued by EU foreign ministers on Oct. 17. Since that day, both European countries and the United States came to an agreement that Iran should be punished if it continues enrichment work. Even Russia, a longtime supporter of Tehran over its nuclear dispute, also highly evaluated it.

    Obviously, uranium enrichment was an issue concerning Iran's national pride and the related activities have reached a considerable scale. As a consequence, there's little chance for Tehran to abandon the key process of its nuclear research.

    On the other side, it was almost impossible for Western countries to believe Iran's nuclear program was completely peaceful.

    The diplomatic game between the two sides has inevitably moved in to a deadlock. In the near future, there's almost little chance for the international community and Iran to break the current impasse, and efforts to resolve Iran's nuclear issue would be along time process.