U.S. to negotiate Iran nuclear issue
The United States has opposed a military strike against Iran’s nuclear program, wanting to first work through negotiations and United Nations sanctions to prevent the development of nuclear weapons.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei denied charges that Tehran is building weapons of mass destruction, asserting that the program is only designed to generate electricity.
“Military force is an option of last resort,” Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy said in a Singapore press briefing. “It’s off the table in the near term.”
Volcanic ash affecting air traffic control
Following the problems caused by volcanic ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland, Europe air traffic returned to 75 percent of normal capacity on Wednesday, though airport officials warned that clearing the backlog of flights would take days. Regional aviation agency Eurocontrol estimated 100,000 flights were cancelled since last Thursday.
The continent’s bigger airports, such as London’s Heathrow Airport, reopened late Wednesday. Meteorologists still claim Eyjafjallajokull is erupting, though recent plumes of ash are not reaching as high altitudes as before. Authorities may revive air traffic regulations if winds strong enough to disperse the ashes make conditions dangerous.