Iran's Ahmadinejad Signals Willingness to Discuss Nuclear Program with West

The Associated Press is reporting that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is prepared to sit down with nuclear agency officials from the U.N. and Western powers to discuss Iran's controversial nuclear program. In recent speeches, the Iranian leader has suggested that his country has been long willing to negotiate with the West regarding its nuclear program. "It is you who come up with excuses each time and issue resolutions on the verge of talks so that negotiations collapse," Ahmadinejad said in a speech in Kerman, Iran, earlier today. "Why should we shun talks? Why and how should a party that has logic and is right shun talks? It is evident that those who resort to coercion are opposed to talks and always bring pretexts and blame us instead."

A senior-level nuclear team from the U.N. is expected to arrive in Tehran later this week, but it remains unclear exactly how far Iran is willing to go in offering transparency regarding its nuclear endeavors. With international economic sanctions increasing and Iran's economy showing cracks from the pressure, it seems reasonable that Ahmadinejad would want to initiate talks. Of course, with the sanctions already in place, he's likely going to hold very little leverage in any negotiating process.

Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz in response to the increasing sanctions aimed at limiting the country's ability to sell its oil in the global marketplace. But the presence of U.S., British and French Naval forces have made it highly unlikely that Iran will follow through with its threat. The coming weeks will probably shed some much-needed light on the realities of the Iranian nuclear program, and exactly how far President Ahmadinejad is willing to go to continue its pursuit.