Iran - nuclear talks

High hopes as world powers mull Iran uranium deal

Article published on the 2009-10-21 Latest update 2009-10-21 10:04 TU

Russian Federal Agency for Nuclear Energy deputy director Nikolai Spassky arrives for talks Wednesday.
(Photo: Reuters)

Iran and world powers began a third round of talks in Vienna on Wednesday to hammer out a deal on the supply of enriched uranium to Tehran. It is hoped the talks will defuse tensions over the country’s nuclear programme.

Delegations from France, Iran, Russia and the United States sat down for a full plenary session at the Vienna headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The talks are over a proposal for France and Russia to enrich below-weapons grade uranium for Iran. Wednesday is expected to be the crunch round after the parties failed to reach a breakthrough in talks on Monday and Tuesday.

The meeting started late, at 11.15am universal time with IAEA director general Mohamed ElBaradei. The evening before, he had told reporters the talks were "making progess", albeit slower than expected, and that a deal was still possible.

Western powers want greater control of Iran's uranium, which they fear is being used to build a nuclear bomb.

Russia, France and the US were waiting for Iran to move forward on an agreement reached in principle in Geneva on 1 October 1, under which Tehran would ship 1,200 kilograms of its own stockpiled uranium to Russia, and subsequently France, by the end of the year.

The uranium would then be processed for use in an Iranian research reactor, which makes isotopes for medical use, such as cancer treatment.

Iran has denied claims it is building a nuclear bomb, but is accused by the IAEA of not co-operating with efforts to determine whether its atomic programme is peaceful.