Iran ‘would welcome talks with other nations’

THE head of Iran’s nuclear programme yesterday said his country would not halt its uranium enrichment program, but added Tehran would welcome other nations in its ongoing talks with European negotiators.

Gholamreza Aghazadeh also said the Iranian government wants to increase its co-operation with Russia, which is building a reactor in Iran that has triggered US concerns about Tehran’s nuclear intentions. Washington accuses Iran of using its civilian program as a cover to secretly produce atomic bombs. Iran rejects this.

Britain, Germany and France, negotiating on behalf of the EU, say they may help draft a resolution demanding Iran be referred to the UN Security Council if it does not stop uranium conversion by the next board meeting of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency.