After weeks of rapidly escalating tensions, particularly between Israel and Iran, signs emerged this week both in Washington and in Tehran that serious negotiations over Tehran’s controversial nuclear program may soon get underway.

The most concrete step was a long-awaited positive RSVP from Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalali, to an invitation extended last October by European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton to meet with the P5+1 (the U.S., Britain, France, China, Russia, and Germany) for a new round of talks.

“We voice our readiness for dialogue on a spectrum of various issues, which can provide grounds for constructive and forward-looking co-operation,” Jalali wrote in his letter.

For more on this story, visit: Amid Escalating Israel-Iran Tensions, a Glimmer of Hope? by Jim Lobe — Antiwar.com.