Iran denies agreement on direct nuclear talks with US

“We are not responsible for responding to the news they
publish, but there is no talk of negotiations with the United States,” Akbar
said, according to the Tehran Times.

{mosads}“We hold negotiations within the framework of the 5+1
group,” he said, referring to several rounds of nuclear negotiations held this
year with the P5+1 group, the five permanent U.N. Security Council members plus
Germany.

Despite the denials, the New York Times report on direct nuclear
talks is poised to play a major role in Monday’s foreign-policy debate.

Mitt Romney has criticized President Obama’s policy toward
Iran, saying the president has not been tough enough to stop the country’s nuclear
program. Romney foreign policy adviser Dan Senor said Monday that
Romney would be a better
negotiator than Obama.

The Obama campaign says that the administration has already
enacted tough sanctions against Iran, and Democrats have questioned whether
Romney would be overly eager to go to war with Iran.

As for negotiations, Akbar said that a new round of P5+1
talks could take place in late November, although a date and time have not been
determined yet, he said.

Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, while the United States and its allies suspect Iran is seeking nuclear weapons.