Word: iran
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Europe used to be the good cop with Iran, engaging with the regime on tricky issues like its nuclear program while the bad cop, the U.S., rasped that Tehran was part of an "axis of evil." But the European Union's moderating stance has done it few favors in the wake of last month's disputed Iranian elections. On Wednesday, Iran's military chief of staff, Major General Hassan Firouz-Abadi, accused the E.U. of "interference in the postelection riots." He said that, as a result, the E.U. had "lost its qualification" to hold talks on Iran's controversial nuclear...
...Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt - whose country has just taken over the E.U.'s six-month presidency - has acknowledged that the 27-nation bloc has a delicate balancing act to perform. He told reporters on Wednesday that the E.U. should show support for calls for reform from the people of Iran but "must not polarize Iran from the rest of the world so that we are made an excuse for the use of violence and oppression inside Iran." (See the top 10 Ahmadinejad-isms...
...been vocal in criticizing the June 12 presidential election that returned hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power and prompted violent street clashes. But the individual E.U. member states each have different relationships with Iran...
...Britain is the target of most of Tehran's criticism: last weekend, nine British embassy staff were arrested for allegedly playing a role in the street protests, although all but one have since been released. Britain, backed by France, says the E.U. should take a firmer position on Iran and has called for envoys to be withdrawn. But Germany and Italy - Iran's biggest trading partners in the E.U. - argue that lines of communication should be kept intact, especially as Tehran is already reeling under the weight of sanctions. (Read "Has Britain Replaced the U.S. as Iran's 'Little Satan...
...also has to decide how far it can take its nuclear negotiations with Tehran. Iran says it is enriching uranium for power plants, but many countries suspect the oil-rich nation ultimately plans to build a bomb. Three E.U. states - Germany, France and the U.K. - have been leading the talks, but their proposed incentives for Iran to stop its nuclear activities have so far been spurned by Iranian negotiators. If the E.U. hardens its stance, however, it may extinguish any lingering chance of a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear ambitions. (Watch TIME's video: "An Iranian Protest March...