Iran and EU Halt Nuclear Talks, but Will Sanctions Shift the Issue?

Observers were surprised to discover today that negotiations have been cancelled, between European Union policy head, Javier Solana, and Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larjani.

In previous talks, on Sunday, September 10, Iran indicated it might concede to an eight-week freeze on its uranium enrichment, a necessary step toward creating both nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and nuclear weapons of mass destruction. General Secretary Kofi Annan sounded hopeful yesterday that the intense mutual distrust between the U.S. and Iran might be resolved, following a trip to Iran. And just last night, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinijad spoke on behalf of "dialogue and negotiation" en route to the Non-Aligned Movement summit being held in Cuba.

The current stumbling suggests that the unproductive pattern of intermittent negotiations may continue. In the meantime, Iran continues its uranium enrichment processing, and the United States has escalated its calls for sanctions. But are sanctions the best way to produce a WMD-free Iran?