"The objective of the EU remains to achieve a comprehensive, negotiated, long-term settlement which restores international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear programme, while respecting Iran's legitimate right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, " the EU statement said.
Unresolved issues between monarchy and the Shia majority continue to produce tension in Bahrain and on top of all of this, tensions over Iran's nuclear programme, although lessened by the prospect of imminent diplomatic negotiations, continue to simmer.
What will be the final shape of Iran's nuclear programme and the scale of sanctions if it halts some of its most sensitive nuclear work?
On the issue of Iran, though, Mr Lapid has expressed strong support for Mr Netanyahu, who has repeatedly warned of the danger of Iran's nuclear programme.
Addressing IAEA governors in Vienna on Thursday, Mr ElBaradei said his inspectors had made no progress in their attempts to verify the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear programme.
In 2010, when Turkey voted against tougher UN sanctions against Iran because of its nuclear programme, it was widely accused of turning its back on the West.
ECONOMIST: Turkish foreign policy: Problems with the neighbours | The
World powers suspect Iran of pursuing a covert nuclear weapons programme.
Our correspondent says Mr Netanyahu came to Washington with his own list of priorities, topped by Iran's nuclear programme.
The head of the Iranian nuclear programme, Gholamreza Aghazadeh, has said that Iran is simply developing its ability to provide nuclear energy.
But one of the most contentious issues is Iran's nuclear programme.
It was revelations about Iran's hidden nuclear programme, and the interception of a shipment of nuclear parts bound for Libya (which hastened Libya's decision to tell all about its dealings with the Khan network), that brought Mr Khan down with a thud.
The bigger concern with Iran is how to tackle its nuclear programme, the source of long-term tension.
ECONOMIST: Tension over Iran is helping to push up oil prices once more
President Obama even made a light-hearted reference to Mr Netanyahu's warning of a "red line" with Iran's nuclear programme.
The rial has reportedly lost more than 80% of its value since 2011 because of US-led trade sanctions over Iran's nuclear programme.
The US Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, who appeared with Mrs Clinton at the news conference, warned that international banks should be wary of doing any business with Iran that might aid its nuclear programme.
The announcement, coming in the wake of the failure of the latest diplomatic effort to engage with Iran on its nuclear programme, is evidence yet again that Tehran intends to stick to the path that it has already chosen, he adds.
Nothing Mr ElBaradei's men say looks able yet to dispel the cloud of Iranian secrecy and Western suspicion that hovers over Iran's nuclear programme.
Mr Hague said the latest report from the International Atomic Energy Agency "provides further evidence" of why the international community should be concerned about Iran's nuclear programme.
Ironically, it may have been international sanctions, intended to punish Iran for its suspect nuclear programme, that at last persuaded its opponents of the need to scrap subsidies.
In his assessment of the stand-off between Iran and Western powers over its nuclear programme - which Tehran argues is for peaceful and civilian purposes - Mr Kissinger called for "serious" negotiations on both sides to look for solutions.
Iran insists its nuclear programme is peaceful while Israel and the West accuse it of trying to make nuclear weapons.
Mr Blair is also scornful of the argument that phasing out Trident might persuade Iran to halt its nuclear programme.
ECONOMIST: The decision to renew Trident was a foregone conclusion
It has verified that none of the nuclear material that Iran has already declared has been diverted for a weapons programme.
Along with the West, it suspects Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear programme, a claim Tehran denies.
There could, however, be some kind of trade-off whereby the West would tolerate a civilian nuclear programme (which is all Iran has, it says) in return for more rigorous restrictions on it.
Arab fears of Iran's regional ambitions, its influence over Shia minorities and its nuclear programme have lately been matched by Iranian worries about the loyalty of its own Arabs and the possibility of an attack launched from the American bases that speckle the opposite shore.
The BBC's Wyre Davies, in Jerusalem, says that although Mr Netanyahu is facing many tricky policy situations - including the collapse of peace talks with the Palestinians and how to respond to Iran's nuclear programme - it is the failure to agree a budget with other coalition parties that brought about this decision.
Treasury Under Secretary David Cohen said that the US would continue to tighten restrictions "so long as Iran continues to fail to address the concerns of the international community about its nuclear programme".
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