"Negotiations that result in only drinking coffee do not serve us". That's how Mr Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Iran's newly appointed foreign minister, replied when asked recently when his country may return to nuclear negotiations with the United States.

Mr Abdollahian was clearly implying that the Americans are those liable to waste time in talks without substance. But the Americans can be forgiven for believing that time-wasting is precisely what Iran is currently doing. It has been more than three months since Iran elected a new president. And although the new administration in Teheran claims to be interested in reaching a diplomatic solution to its nuclear stand-off with the international community, it has done nothing to engage with the Americans in reinstating the deal designed to prevent the country from acquiring nuclear weapons.