Iran and the European Union kicked off their formal...

Iran and the European Union kicked off their formal dialogue on human rights in Tehran, part of landmark discussions linking negotiations on trade to thorny political issues, a European diplomat said. In contrast to the US, which has lumped Iran into an "axis of evil" along with Iraq and North Korea, the EU has shifted its relationship with Iran from "critical" to "constructive" dialogue. Iran is meanwhile determined to signal that there will be no overt concessions, especially with regard to human rights issues that clash with Islamic law. Iran was represented at the talks by top foreign ministry official Kia Tabatabai. Christian Leffler was the acting trade negotiator for the European Commission. The dialogue was launched in Brussels on December 12. Details on the exact content of the meetings were not available.