Expectations low for Geneva talks on Iran's nuclear activities

Six world powers are holding their first talks with Iran in more than a year on Monday, hoping the meeting will lead to new negotiations over a nuclear programme the West believes is aimed at making atom bombs.

On the eve of the two-day meeting in Geneva, Iran announced what it called a major step forward in its nuclear work, signalling it is not about to back down in a long-running battle over what it insists are peaceful plans for energy production.

“It colours the way in which the talks may proceed,” says Dr. Ali Ansari, professor of Iranian history at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. “The Iranians made quite clear that they were sitting down to the negotiations with a stronger hand.”

Also clouding the negotiations is last week’s assassination of a prominent Iranian nuclear scientist which Tehran has blamed on Western intelligence services.

“It’s not clear actually what the motives were behind this,” Dr. Ansari told Vatican Radio. “Interestingly it hasn’t really been prominent in the news reporting in Iran.”

Listen to Dr. Ali Ansari’s full interview with Kelsea Brennan-Wessels: