Iran to get European nuclear proposals
LONDON -- Britain, France, and Germany aim to hand new proposals to Iran today for economic and political cooperation meant to persuade Tehran to abandon all activities that might be used to make a nuclear bomb.
The three countries are also planning to call a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog, early next week to warn Tehran against restarting sensitive nuclear work, diplomats said.
The New York Times cited Western diplomats as saying the three countries have prepared an offer that could allow Iran to acquire nuclear reactors and fuel if it ends activities thought to be part of a nuclear weapons program. The diplomats reportedly told the Times that the offer, which they said was drawn up with tacit US approval, could also allow Iran to establish a full political and economic relationship with the West.
Iran repeatedly threatened this week to resume uranium processing, a move that would end two years of talks and could lead to its referral to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.
Diplomats said Britain, France, and Germany -- the EU3 -- aimed to hand over their proposals today, two days earlier than they had previously said.
There was no immediate comment from Tehran, though a senior Iranian negotiator repeated earlier that Iran planned to resume uranium conversion work.
Conversion, which Iran agreed to suspend along with other sensitive nuclear activities under a November deal with the EU3, is the step before enrichment, which can purify uranium to the levels needed to fuel nuclear reactors or bombs. Iran says it aims only to generate electricity and has a right to a peaceful nuclear program.
Under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which Iran has signed, Tehran would be allowed to enrich uranium if it could prove it was for peaceful purposes only, which is why it has been working under the supervision of the IAEA. But the EU3 says the only way to prove peaceful intentions is not to enrich at all and renounce all sensitive technologies.
