Germany warns against nuclear dispute with Iran escalating

Bloomberg: Germany’s Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle warned against a further escalation in a nuclear dispute with Iran.

Bloomberg

By Julie Cruz

Germany’s Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle warned against a further escalation in a nuclear dispute with Iran.

“We will jointly examine with our partners in substance the Iranian offer of dialogue, which was sent in writing,” he said today in a statement. “Should there be a serious, substantial willingness to talk, we want to identify it.”

While Iran insists its nuclear program is for civilian energy and medical research, the U.S. and European governments say they suspect it is seeking an atomic weapons capability.

Iran hasn’t negotiated with the so-called P5+1 — the UN Security Council’s permanent members China, France, Russia, the U.K. and the U.S., plus Germany — since talks broke down in January 2011.