U.S.: Iran trying to buy time with Brazil mediation

Reuters: The Obama administration accused Iran on Wednesday of trying to buy time by accepting Brazil’s offer to mediate in its nuclear standoff and said the United States would be undeterred in its push for new U.N. sanctions.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Obama administration accused Iran on Wednesday of trying to buy time by accepting Brazil’s offer to mediate in its nuclear standoff and said the United States would be undeterred in its push for new U.N. sanctions.

Obama’s top Latin America adviser Daniel Restrepo described Tehran’s bid as a stalling tactic a day after it agreed “in principle” to Brazil’s proposal to act as intermediary to help revive a nuclear fuel swap deal between Iran and world powers.

Iran appeared to be trying to exploit reluctance among some members of the U.N. Security Council, including Brazil, to push ahead with tighter sanctions on Tehran in coming weeks aimed pressuring it to curb its nuclear ambitions.

“Through their engagement with Brazil and others, it appears that the Iranians are attempting to buy themselves time,” Restrepo told Reuters in a Latin American investment summit.

“As the administration has made quite clear, we think the time to move forward at the U.N. Security Council is upon us and that is the most effective means of reaching a positive outcome on this issue,” he said.

(Reporting by Matt Spetalnick and Deborah Charles)