Obama says 'no freebies given away' to Iran in nuke talks'

Washington, Apr 16 (ANI): US President Barack Obama has said Washington has not 'given anything away' in new talks with Tehran, and defended his continued push for a diplomatic resolution on the dispute over Iran's nuclear programmes.

Obama's statement came after Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the US and other world powers had given Tehran a 'freebie' by agreeing to hold more talks next month.

Obama emphasized that he would not let the talks turn into a 'stalling process,' and added that he still believed there was a window for diplomacy.

"So far, at least, we haven't given away anything, other than the opportunity for us to negotiate and see if Iran comes to the table in good faith," Fox News quoted Obama, as saying.

Negotiators from the US and five other world powers recently met in Turkey for a fresh round of nuclear talks with Iran.

While previous talks have done little to dissuade Iran from moving forward on its nuclear program, diplomats called the latest negotiations constructive and useful.

Both sides agreed to hold more talks in Baghdad at the end of May.

According to the report, Netanyahu balked at the announcement of more talks, saying the intervening five weeks would simply give Iran more time to continue enriching uranium without restrictions. (ANI)