Joe Biden to Iran: Call Me, Maybe

AP
Connor Simpson 1,595 Views Feb 2, 2013

The U.S. is open to direct talks with Iran over this whole nuclear weapon fiasco, but only if Iran is serious about coming to the table, Joe Biden said at a Munich security conference Saturday. The U.S. will sit down "when the Iranian leadership, Supreme Leader [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei], is serious," Biden told the conference. "We have made it clear at the outset that we would be prepared to meet bilaterally with the Iranian leadership, we would not make it a secret that we were doing that, we would let our partners know if that occasion presented itself." Biden explained the White House wouldn't agree to talks unless it's clear Iran is coming to the table without an ulterior motive. The talks can't be an "exercise," Biden explained. 

The fabled direct talks have been an Obama administration pursuit since he first took office. Hillary Clinton was asked about the possibility during her town hall earlier this week. A New York Times report in October said the country already agreed to talk with the White House, but only after the election. The White House denied the report, but the Times stood by the reporting. 

 

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