STANDOFF

Iran's Dubious Peace Claim

West suspicious of foreign minister's olive branch.

Iran's foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, predicted a deal over his country's nuclear program in the "not too distant future," but his words gained little traction among Western leaders. "Our hand is still reaching out toward [Iran]. But so far it's reaching out into nothingness," German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said at the same Munich security conference where Mottaki made his remarks. “And I've seen nothing since [Friday] that makes me want to change that view." The EU's foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton added that it was Iran's burden to make its intentions clear. "There is a need to restore confidence in the peaceful nature of Iran's program," she said, according to Reuters.