Iran's new nukes negotiator means trouble

TEHRAN, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- The replacement of Iran’s nuclear negotiator may mean trouble for the West’s ambitions to stop Iran’s controversial nuclear program.

Ali Larijani, who held the post for more than two years, resigned over the weekend after a dispute with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over the direction of the nuclear issue.

Ahmadinejad, who has in the past repeatedly fueled mistrust of the West, gave the post to Saeed Jalili, the deputy foreign minister labeled by observers as the president’s right-hand man. He is expected to lead a much tougher negotiation course than Larijani did.

The move comes in the wake of several threats of military action against Iran by Washington, a government frustrated by the sluggish pace of negotiations with the Islamic Republic. Despite a series of economic sanctions against Iran, Ahmadinejad, backed by spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has not been willing to give away an inch in the negotiations.

The West believes Iran is using its civil nuclear program as a cover to make nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies.