U.S. plan for Iran: Talks alongside sanctions

        Senior U.S. officials are preparing to present President Barack Obama with a plan for dialogue with Iran on its nuclear program, including increased international sanctions against Tehran alongside dialogue. Top Israeli and U.S. officials have been holding meetings on Iran. The unofficial dialogue between Washington and Tehran, bitter enemies since the Islamic Revolution toppled American ally Shah Reza Pahlavi in 1979, will begin within two weeks, even before Obama approves the plan. Senior U.S. diplomats will meet their Iranian counterparts in two meetings about the future of Afghanistan - one in Moscow on March 27 and the other in the Netherlands on March 31. The senior U.S. official leading the American rapprochement with Iran is Dennis Ross. Senior Israeli officials and Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, who was recently in Washington, have informed the U.S. what Israel thinks about dialogue with Iran. In talks with the American officials, Israel has learned that the U.S. is planning to conduct a "parallel" approach - beginning a dialogue with Iran, while working with Russia, China, Germany, France and Britain to formulate new sanctions against Iran. The U.S. will coordinate its efforts with Israel and with moderate Arab states as well. The goal is to combine talks with pressure in order to convince the Iranian leadership to respond to western demands that it curtail its nuclear program. Late last week, President Obama sent a message to the Iranian people, wishing them well on their New Year and calling for constructive ties between the U.S. and Iran. Obama said in a video message that the U.S. "administration is now committed to diplomacy that addresses the full range of issues before us, and to pursuing constructive ties among the United States, Iran and the international community." President Shimon Peres also recorded a similar message that will be aired online and on Israel Radio in Farsi. (13,38)