Special Report: Iran Nuclear Crisis

    MOSCOW, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Russia is against setting a timeframe for Iran to reply to the package of incentives for suspending its nuclear program, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Singapore on Thursday, Russian news agency reported.

    "There should be no artificial limits either in the sense of some deadlines, like 'tomorrow or never', or the endless dragging of this process," Lavrov said in an interview with Russian reporters in Singapore, where he is taking part in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum.

    "As for a time that some or another country would want to give for getting an answer from Tehran, political statements should be weighed with the real life," he said.

    European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana presented a package of incentives to Iran last month on behalf of the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany, suggesting that Iran get a temporary reprieve from economic and financial sanctions in exchange for freezing its enrichment activities.

    Iranian top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and Solana held talks last Saturday on Iran's nuclear program in Swiss city of Geneva, in the presence of U.S. Undersecretary of State William Burns and senior diplomats from China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany. However, Iran gave no clear answer to the package of incentives.  

Obama: nuclear Iran is game changer

    JERUSALEM, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Visiting U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama reiterated Wednesday that Iran should be prevented from obtaining nuclear weapons, saying a nuclear Iran would be a game changer.

    "A nuclear Iran would be a game-changing situation, not just in the Middle East, but around the world," Obama told reporters at a press conference in the rockets-stricken town of Sderot in southern Israel.  Full story 

U.S. still hopes Iran to give positive answer to incentives

    WASHINGTON, July 23 (Xinhua) -- The United States reiterated on Wednesday its hope that Iran would provide a positive answer to international offers, and suspend its controversial nuclear activities.

    "If they do not, the international community is united that more sanctions are coming," U.S. National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.  Full story

Iran not to make concession in nuclear rights

    TEHRAN, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that Iran will not make any concession in the country's nuclear rights, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

    Ahmadinejad made the comments in a speech during a visit to the southwestern province of Kohgilouyeh and Boyer Ahmad on Wednesday. Full story