Iran Softens Criticism of Turkey as Nuclear Talks Approach Iran's leaders on Friday backpedaled from their recent criticism of Turkey, the host of coming talks on the disputed Iranian nuclear program, in a possible indication of their concern about alienating the Turks at a time when Iran is facing increased isolation. Statements from Iranian officials in recent days about moving the talks to Syria or Iraq because they believed that Turkey had shown itself not to be a fair or neutral country had angered the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had visited with Iran's top leaders last week. Mr. Erdogan returned home saying he believed that the Iranians were sincere in not wishing to seek nuclear weapons and in wanting the talks to succeed. But in blunt remarks on Thursday that apparently surprised the Iranians, Mr. Erdogan chastised them for proposing alternate locations that they knew would be unacceptable, with barely a week before the talks are to begin. The Turkish leader suggested that such behavior had made the Iranians appear to be dishonest foot-draggers. "Because of the lack of honesty, they keep losing credibility in the world," Mr. Erdogan said on Thursday at a news conference in Ankara, the Turkish capital. Iran's Foreign Ministry offered what appeared to be a veiled apology for offending Mr. Erdogan, who has emerged as an important bridge between Iran and the West. In a statement carried Friday by Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, said, "Tehran-Ankara strategic ties should not be damaged." He described Iran and Turkey as brotherly regional powers and said they agreed on most issues, an oblique reference to at least two areas of disagreement: Turkey's support for the uprising in Syria, and Turkey's support for a NATO missile shield designed to thwart Iranian missiles. Without specifically referring to Mr. Erdogan or the nuclear talks, Mr. Mehmanparast said that the "remarks made by different people should not have any negative effects on bilateral relations." He added that Mr. Erdogan's meeting with Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been "very positive and constructive." The substance of Mr. Erdogan's discussions with Ayatollah Khamenei have not been disclosed. But Mr. Erdogan visit came just after he met with President Obama at a summit meeting in South Korea. There has been speculation since that Mr. Erdogan carried a message from Mr. Obama to Iran's leaders on the nuclear issue. Iran's insistence on domestic uranium enrichment is the main issue in the nuclear talks, which were suspended in January 2011. Western countries suspect that the enrichment is a cover to develop the capability to make nuclear weapons. The resumed talks are to be held April 13 and 14 between Iran and the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - plus Germany. Neither the Iranians nor the other nations have said that the talks should be delayed or canceled. But Western diplomats widely view Iran's contradictory signals about the location as a sign of either high-level indecision about a negotiating position, or a deliberate strategy of delay.