My Way News - Iran Agrees to Full Nuclear Enrichment Freeze:
"A senior EU diplomat close to the talks said Iran had agreed to all points covered in a preliminary agreement hammered out in Paris a week ago. 'We have reached a full agreement regarding all the issues mentioned in the package,' he said.
Iran, which denies U.S. accusations that it is secretly developing atomic weapons, had held up a final deal by demanding that it be permitted to continue the early stages of uranium conversion. The EU rejected this idea.
'The suspension is what the Europeans wanted, a full one,' a diplomat close to the IAEA said.
CRUCIAL REPORT
A diplomat close to the IAEA said the arrival of the letter on Sunday meant it would be included in a crucial report, due to be released on Monday, summarizing the IAEA's two-year investigation of Tehran's nuclear program.
Once confirmed by IAEA inspectors on the ground, the freeze is likely to protect Iran from being reported to the U.N. Security Council for possible economic sanctions when the IAEA board of governors meets on Nov. 25.
The 'EU Three' have said that, once the suspension begins, they will discuss a package of incentives with Iran -- ranging from cooperation on peaceful nuclear technology to a possible trade deal -- in return for Iran permanently giving up any activities that could be used to make bomb-grade material.
Rohani's deputy Hossein Mousavian told reporters those talks would start on Dec. 15.
However, questions remain, as Iran has continued to insist that it will never give up its 'sovereign right' to enrich uranium, even while negotiating with the EU.
'We have accepted the suspension as a voluntary step and it does not create any obligations for us,' Rohani's deputy, Hossein Mousavian, told Iranian state television.
Washington, which accuses Iran of using its nuclear power program as a front to develop nuclear weapons, wants the IAEA to refer the case upwards because Tehran concealed a uranium enrichment program for 18 years.
Diplomats in Vienna said that, with a suspension in place, the United States would have only a handful of supporters on the IAEA's 35-member board for such a move.
The White House reacted cautiously to Iran's announcement, saying: 'We look forward to a briefing by our European friends.'
The IAEA board had demanded in September that Iran freeze its enrichment program. But Tehran has continued producing parts for centrifuges that purify uranium for use in nuclear power plants or weapons."
"A senior EU diplomat close to the talks said Iran had agreed to all points covered in a preliminary agreement hammered out in Paris a week ago. 'We have reached a full agreement regarding all the issues mentioned in the package,' he said.
Iran, which denies U.S. accusations that it is secretly developing atomic weapons, had held up a final deal by demanding that it be permitted to continue the early stages of uranium conversion. The EU rejected this idea.
'The suspension is what the Europeans wanted, a full one,' a diplomat close to the IAEA said.
CRUCIAL REPORT
A diplomat close to the IAEA said the arrival of the letter on Sunday meant it would be included in a crucial report, due to be released on Monday, summarizing the IAEA's two-year investigation of Tehran's nuclear program.
Once confirmed by IAEA inspectors on the ground, the freeze is likely to protect Iran from being reported to the U.N. Security Council for possible economic sanctions when the IAEA board of governors meets on Nov. 25.
The 'EU Three' have said that, once the suspension begins, they will discuss a package of incentives with Iran -- ranging from cooperation on peaceful nuclear technology to a possible trade deal -- in return for Iran permanently giving up any activities that could be used to make bomb-grade material.
Rohani's deputy Hossein Mousavian told reporters those talks would start on Dec. 15.
However, questions remain, as Iran has continued to insist that it will never give up its 'sovereign right' to enrich uranium, even while negotiating with the EU.
'We have accepted the suspension as a voluntary step and it does not create any obligations for us,' Rohani's deputy, Hossein Mousavian, told Iranian state television.
Washington, which accuses Iran of using its nuclear power program as a front to develop nuclear weapons, wants the IAEA to refer the case upwards because Tehran concealed a uranium enrichment program for 18 years.
Diplomats in Vienna said that, with a suspension in place, the United States would have only a handful of supporters on the IAEA's 35-member board for such a move.
The White House reacted cautiously to Iran's announcement, saying: 'We look forward to a briefing by our European friends.'
The IAEA board had demanded in September that Iran freeze its enrichment program. But Tehran has continued producing parts for centrifuges that purify uranium for use in nuclear power plants or weapons."
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