Iran n-talks may resume

After weeks of official bluster,ominous threats of military action in the Persian Gulf,and assassination attempts on Israelis in India,Thailand and Georgia that Iranian agents have been blamed for,the offer appeared to be a genuine concession by Iran,the officials said,though one made under the duress of tightening economic sanctions against the country.

Im cautious and Im optimistic at the same time for this, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said after meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at the State Department.

It also demonstrates the importance of the twin-track approach, Ashton added in her first public response to the Iranian letter,referring to the effort to intensify sanctions while leaving the door open for a diplomatic resolution.

Yet another potentially crippling sanction against Iran moved a step closer on Friday when the Belgium-based Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication,known as Swift,said in a statement on its Web site that it was ready to implement sanctions against Iranian financial institutions.