TEHRAN – Former nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani suggested here on Monday that Iran and the five permanent members of United Nations Security Council plus Germany should hold face-to-face talks so that the 5+1 group can directly ask questions about Iran’s nuclear program.

The Lebanese presidential election was postponed for the seventh time last Friday as the majority and minority faction leaders in the country’s parliament were again unable to reach a consensus. The election has become an intense football match in which each side is playing defensively in order to avoid losing.

The State Department says U.S. and Iranian officials will meet next week in Baghdad to discuss Iraq security issues. U.S. officials say attacks in Iraq thought to be Iranian-supported have declined in recent weeks.