Time to talk to Iran?

WASHINGTON, May 27 (UPI) -- U.S. analysts say it may be time to engage Iran in serious talks over its nuclear program and support for insurgent factions elsewhere in the Middle East.

Testifying before Congress last week, U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus said he favored an engaged approach with Tehran to settle a wide range of issues.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki, for his part, proposed a sweeping list of proposals to the United Nations, including an appeal for "real and serious cooperation" with world leaders to settle the dispute surrounding Iran's nuclear program, The Christian Science Monitor reported Tuesday.

Some foreign policy analysts say Iran's position among world powers, with its influence in neighboring Iraq and sway over the political situation in Lebanon and Palestine, means it's time to approach Tehran at the negotiating table.

"It should be taken seriously; there's nothing to lose," says David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington.