US Is Edging Closer To High-level Talks With Iran

NEW YORK (AP) — The Obama administration is edging closer to direct, high-level talks with Iran's new government. Secretary of State John Kerry is slated to meet his Iranian counterpart this week, and the White House is weighing the risks and rewards of an encounter between President Barack Obama and new Iranian President Hasan Rouhani.

An in-person exchange on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly would mark the first meeting between the two nations' leaders in more than 30 years. Even informal talks could signal a turning point in U.S.-Iranian relations — though they also could be seen as a premature endorsement for a new government that has yet to answer questions about Iran's nuclear program.

Obama advisers say no meeting is currently scheduled.