Obama demands action from Iran after nuclear talks (Source: AFP)
Comments (0) An article by Agence France Press notes that US officials meeting with their Iranian counterparts officially for the first time in nearly 30 years called on Iran to release Kian and other Amerian detainees:
“WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama Thursday demanded swift and “constructive” action from Iran following crucial nuclear talks, and warned that his patience for dialogue with the arch-US foe was limited.
Obama said the meeting between world powers and Tehran in Geneva, which included the highest-level direct talks between the United States and Iran in three decades, was a “constructive” start to defusing a nuclear standoff…US negotiator [Undersecretary of State] William Burns and Iran’s top atomic point-man Saeed Jalili held a landmark private meeting on the sidelines of the talks — the biggest test yet of Obama’s pro-engagement strategy.
Officials said the discussions centered on the nuclear issue and human rights, and called the talks “frank” and “very straightforward.”
“This all sounds like diplomatic parlance but it was pretty direct and candid on a range of issues,” a senior US administration official said.
The State Department said Burns asked the Iranians to urgently act on the cases of a number of Americans detained in Iran.
“We stressed that the detention of these American citizens is an urgent matter that must be resolved as soon as possible,” spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters.
The detained Americans have been identified as: Iranian-American scholar Kian Tajbakhsh; retired Iranian-American businessman Reza Taghavi; and American hikers Joshua Fattal, Shane Bauer and Sarah Shourd…”
Sting makes appeal for Kian Tajbakhsh and Iranian detainees.