Iran demands EU make nuclear offer by August 1

Reuters:

Iran demanded on Saturday that the European Union submit proposals in a dispute over its nuclear programme by August 1 rather than take a week longer.

The European Union -- represented by Britain, France and Germany -- is due to offer Iran a limited package of economic and political incentives to give up work that the United States suspects is a veil for efforts to build a nuclear bomb.

In return, the EU wants Iran to agree to maintain indefinitely its suspension of uranium enrichment, nuclear fuel reprocessing and related activities.

Ali Aghamohammadi, a spokesman for the Supreme National Security Council, said the parties had originally agreed an August 1 deadline, and that ambassadors for the "EU Three" had asked for this to be extended by six days.

"We reject any delay. We are expecting their proposals to be submitted on August 1 and it should meet Iran's minimum expectations," he told Reuters. READ MORE

However, it was not clear whether Iran was using a tough stance over a matter of a few days to put pressure on the EU.

Diplomats in the EU Three capitals said they were not aware that the EU had committed itself firmly to August 1.

They said there had been an agreement at talks with Iran in Geneva last May that it would submit a proposal by the end of July or "early August".

Waiting until August 7 would allow the EU Three to present their offer after the inauguration of Iran's new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on August 3.

Regardless of the date, diplomats have expressed little optimism that a deal can be done.

EU diplomats say the European offer is predicated on Iran agreeing to maintain indefinitely its suspension of uranium enrichment, nuclear fuel reprocessing and related activities.

If it does not do so, they have threatened to back U.S. demands to report Iran to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions.

But the outgoing president, Mohammad Khatami, said on Wednesday that Iran would resume some work on its nuclear fuel cycle, which the West suspects is part of a clandestine effort to produce a bomb, regardless of what the EU Three offer.

"Our deadline for suspending nuclear work was the EU proposal. We will wait until the first days of August but will restart activities right afterwards," he told reporters.

The spokesman, Aghamohammadi, said on Saturday the EU Three had asked to discuss their proposals in meetings in Paris on August 31 and in New York in September.

"It means the proposal regarding Iran's nuclear programme practically will be postponed for an unlimited time," he said. "That means this proposal does not meet Iran's minimum expectations."

Iran regards nuclear fuel cycle activities as a right under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and wants to be allowed to keep at least a pilot enrichment programme.