DIPLOMACY

Iran Backs Out of Nuke Deal

Collapsed negotiations could set stage for sanctions.

A major potential deal with Iran to export its nuclear fuel has collapsed, The New York Times reports. European and American negotiators were seeking to engineer an agreement in which Iran would agree to send three-quarters of its uranium stockpile out of the country, thus reducing its ability to manufacture a nuclear weapon. But officials told the Times that Iran backed out only hours after its President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad publicly indicated the country was ready to cooperate. “The key issue is that Iran does not agree to export its lightly enriched uranium,” the official said. “That’s not a minor detail. That’s the whole point of the deal.” If a new agreement can't be reached, Iran could face a tougher approach from the West, including possible sanctions, as well as heightened tensions with Israel.