Dinner at Manouchehr’s

While a dinner party may not be the most agreeable setting for talks on nuclear diplomacy, Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki treated representatives of all 15 member nations of the U.N. Security Council to a meal in Manhattan on Friday night in an effort to re-engage the international community regarding Iran’s nuclear program. –JCL

The Guardian:

Dinner parties are not normally considered the diplomatic medium of choice of the Islamic Republic of Iran. But last night the regime’s swanky ambassadorial residence on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue became the focal point of the ongoing crisis over Tehran’s nuclear programme.

In a move described by UN observers as very unusual, Iran decided to hold a dinner for all 15 members of the UN security council. It marked the highest level of encounters between Iranian and US officials in recent years and was being seen by western diplomats as the latest in a series of moves by Tehran to put its case to the world before any further sanctions over its nuclear enrichment.

The event was hosted by the foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki. Of the five permanent members of the UN security council only China sent its ambassador, the rest being represented by lower-level officials.

Read more