美国说，如果伊朗对公开讨论其有争议的核项目持“认真”态度，美国愿意与伊朗重新进行谈判。美国国务院女发言人努兰德星期三说，是否重新与联合国安理会5 个常任理事国加德国进行谈判取决于伊朗。这一集团被称为“五常加一”。各方上次举行会议是在一年之前。伊朗一名政界人士星期三说，美国总统奥巴马已致函伊朗，呼吁进行直接对话。但是奥巴马政府没有证实进行这一联系。白宫发言人卡尼星期三说，任何已经发生的或可能已经发生的联络“私下里和公开的情况是一致的”，向前推进的道路是多方谈判。卡尼表示，美国和“众多国际盟友”向伊朗施压是德黑兰拒绝在核项目问题上进行“认真讨论”的直接后果。
伊朗外长萨利希星期三说，任何有可能的新谈判将会在伊斯坦布尔举行。美国国务院随后回应说，还没有关于举行新一轮会谈的讨论。与此同时，美国参谋长联席会议主席邓普西星期四访问以色列，与以色列国防部长巴拉克会谈，内容包括美国和以色列担心的伊朗在企图研发核武器的问题。伊朗表示自己的核项目是为了和平用途。
The United States says it is open to resuming negotiations with Iran about its controversial nuclear program if Tehran is "serious" about discussing it openly. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Wednesday it is up to Iran to rejoin talks with the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany, a group known as the P5+1. The parties last met a year ago. An Iranian politician said Wednesday that U.S. President Barack Obama had sent a letter to Iran calling for direct talks. But the Obama administration did not confirm such contact. White House spokesman Jay Carney said Wednesday that any communications that have or may have taken place are "the same in private as they have been in public," and that the path forward is through multi-party talks. He said increasing pressure on Iran from the United States and "many international allies" is a direct result of Tehran's refusal to engage in "serious discussions" about its nuclear program.
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said Wednesday any new negotiations likely would be held in Istanbul. The U.S. State Department responded later that there have been no discussions about holding a new round of talks. Meanwhile, U.S. Joints Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey is visiting Israel Thursday for talks with Defense Minister Ehud Barak, including U.S. and Israeli concerns that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear ambitions are peaceful.
