By IANS,
Washington: The US and Iran have agreed for the first time to have one-on-one talks over the latter ‘s controversial nuclear programme, The New York Times reported Saturday.
The agreement was the result of intense and secret exchanges between officials of the two countries, which began almost immediately after President Barack Obama took office in January 2009, the report said citing President Obama administration officials.
The news came two weeks ahead of the American voters going to presidential polls to choose between Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney, and just two days before the duo are scheduled to have their third and final debate in Boca Raton, the US state of Florida, with the focus on foreign policy, Xinhua reported.
The Romney in his campaign has launched a scathing attack on Obama’s foreign policy record, despite the Obama campaign’s repeated boasting of the incumbent US president’s strong achievements in foreign policy, including the imposition of crippling sanctions against Iran.
“Iranian officials have insisted that the talks wait until after the presidential election,” said a senior US official, adding the Iranians want to know with whom they would be negotiating.