Human rights issues may be becoming less of a sore subject for Iran. Sadeq Larijani, the head of the country's judiciary, said in August that Tehran would be open to discussing human rights concerns with the European Union, so long as the bloc were amenable to talking about its own issues as well. Then on Oct. 24, the spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry said the deputy foreign ministers of Iran and the European Union would hold negotiations in December to discuss a wide array of subjects, including human rights. These announcements may signal a shift for Iran — which has historically avoided discussing its human rights record with outside powers — and for its future relations with the West. The negotiations over Iran's human rights policies will probably not lead to any immediate breakthroughs.