Iran nuclear deal 'only days away'

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency says a deal on Iran’s suspect nuclear programme could be only a few days away, making Security Council action unnecessary.

International Atomic Energy Agency head Mohamed ElBaradei did not elaborate on his comment but his optimism was believed to be linked to a confidential Russian proposal to allow Iran to enrich some uranium domestically.

Mr ElBaradei said: “I am still very much hopeful that in the next week an agreement could be reached.”

But the plan – which Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was due to discuss with officials in Washington – was expected to meet strong US resistance over fears that it could be misused to make nuclear weapons.

US Under-secretary of State Nicholas Burns underlined US determination, saying in Washington that “unless Iran does a dramatic about-face”, he expected the issue to be taken up by the Security Council.

State Department spokesman Tom Casey said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice telephoned Mr ElBaradei “to reiterate the US position that Iran should cease all enrichment-related activity”.

In response, Mr ElBaradei agreed that Iran must not be allowed to have enrichment activity on its territory, said a US official.

The Russian proposal described by the diplomats would allow Tehran to conduct small-scale uranium enrichment, and would ask the IAEA to set the parameters of such activity to minimise the chances of abuse.

In return, the diplomats said, Iran would be asked to recommit to in-depth IAEA investigations of its programme on short notice.

Iran cancelled such investigations last month after the IAEA’s 35-nation board put the UN Security Council on alert by passing on Iran’s nuclear dossier.

Moscow, with the support of the US and other countries, has offered to enrich Iran’s uranium in Russia – to ensure greater oversight – but Iran, insisting its goals are peaceful, has said it should be free to carry out some enrichment domestically.

The Russian proposal was driving a wedge into what had been a relatively united front on uranium enrichment, with Germany cautiously supportive and France and Britain opposed and backing the US.

In New York, John Bolton, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said the US would oppose any enrichment on Iranian soil.

“It’s been a core element of our view and the view of the European three, and certainly of the Russian Federation, that no enrichment in Iran is permissible,” Bolton told reporters.

He said “even small so-called research enrichment programmes could give Iran the possibility of mastering the technical deficiencies that it’s currently encountering in its programme” and translate them into large-scale enrichment later.

France, Britain and Germany broke off negotiations on behalf of the European Union with Iran last year after it resumed enrichment-related activities, which can produce both nuclear fuel and the fissile core of warheads.

Since then, they, the US, Canada, Australia and Japan have been at the forefront of efforts to have the UN Security Council take up the Iran issue.

A senior European diplomat all involved – whether or not they supported allowing Iran some control of enrichment – were firm on the need for Tehran to first return to a freeze of all such activities for a prolonged time “to re-establish confidence”.

He said the Russians had proposed eight years. A US State Department official refused to specify a length of time but said two years would be too short.