Iran is Ready to Enter Negotiations on its Nuclear Program

The announcement keeps Iran in line with a September deadline imposed by the United States and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. The U.S. had proposed a September timeline for entering negotiations and had attached some trade and economic incentives should Iran comply. This announcement could be seen as a step toward some sort of open dialogue about Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Of course, this overture of cooperation was made against the backdrop of newly-elected President President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's selection of a suspected international terrorist for his top defense post in his cabinet. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi is wanted in Argentina in connection with a bombing there that killed 85 people in a Jewish center in 1994. Supporters of Vahidi in the Iranian parliament chanted "Death to Israel" while he was announced as the president's selection for the top defense post. So, there is still some work to be done to bridge the gap between Iran and the west on several levels.

The idea of Iran negotiating with the west on its nuclear program is a difficult one on both sides when it comes to international politics and posturing. Iran is one of the key issues in determining the stability of the world at large, with players such as Russia and China lurking in the shadows with their own interests in mind. As the U.S. pulls out of Iraq and attempts to use a multi-faceted approach to stabilizing Afghanistan, some diplomatic resources will be free to focus on Iran and on settling down some of the world's boiling points in order to ensure a prosperous economic future - which is really the ultimate goal if the Obama administration is going to be able to claim success on an international or domestic level.