ICEJ News, 10 Dec 2012

Washington’s latest offer of direct talks with the Islamic Republic in order to resolve the crisis over Iran’s renegade nuclear program have drawn vociferous resistance from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and its Basij auxiliary militia. Officials from both groups insist that the US needs negotiations more than Iran, whose "resistance economy" will enable it to resist the economic pressure of sanctions.

Meanwhile, reports indicate there is little chance that the clerical leadership in Teheran will take up the offer, and talks between Iran and the world’s major powers scheduled for January hold little promise of progress.

In related news, the US Government Accountability Office released a report on Friday showing that several international oil companies continue to invest in Iran’s hydrocarbon industry, despite UN sanctions. A related report by the Congressional Research Office said that previous fears that Iran was developing intercontinental missiles which would be ready for deployment by 2015 were premature.

"It is increasingly uncertain whether Iran will be able to achieve an ICBM capability by 2015," said the report by the non-partisan Congressional Research Service, adding that this would only be possible if the Islamic Republic received heavy assistance from Russia or China, which did not appear to be occurring.