Amidst the continuing war of words between the Bush Administration and Tehran, Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran is meeting US Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns here tomorrow to minimise the differences on Iran’s nuclear proliferation.The two officials are expected to review the state of play in the Iranian crisis, including the new proposals put forward by Tehran on Saturday and the likely outcomes at a crucial meeting of the IAEA that begins in Vienna on Monday.Saran and Burns will have their task cut out as they seek to limit the impact of the Iranian crisis on the prospects for smooth implementation of the Indo-US nuclear pact signed in July.India, which has promised a constructive approach to the question, has been surprised at the misrepresentation of its position in the US media and the Congress.Saran and Burns, who played a key role in negotiating the nuclear pact, would want to make sure there are no crossed wires on Iran as both countries prepare to take difficult reciprocal steps in moving towards full cooperation in civilian nuclear energy.Burns will also have an opportunity to brief Saran on the American reaction to the new nuclear proposals made by the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday and how it plans to proceed at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna. Oil as weapon is an option, warns Tehran NEW YORK: Iran has threatened to use ‘‘oil as a weapon’’ against the West if the issue of its uranium enrichment is referred to the UN Security Council. ‘‘Some European countries and America are using the Security Council as a threat. They threaten us so that we give up our rights,” Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in an interview to be published in the next issue of Time.
