Iran: Tehran Adds Confusion to the Nuclear Talks

Iranian Maj. Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi, the Joint Armed Forces chief of staff, endorsed in a Nov. 13 interview with Iran's Mehr news agency the West's proposal to ship the majority of Iran's low-enriched uranium abroad. Firouzabadi has an influential position in the Iranian regime and would not have spoken in support of the Western proposal without the supreme leader's consent. Rather than a sign that Iran is coming to terms with the West in its nuclear negotiations, however, this is more likely Iran's way of exposing an internal debate inside Tehran and injecting more confusion into the nuclear talks to buy more time. And time is of the essence, considering the fundamental shifts taking place inside Russia, Iran's key ally.