Iran may be willing to resume nuclear talks: EU's Ashton
(BRUSSELS) - There are "indications" that Iran may be willing to hold fresh talks with world powers on its controversial nuclear programme, EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said Friday.
"We are ready, and have been since our last E3+3 meeting in October, to meet with Iranian officials to discuss international concerns about Iran's nuclear pro gramme," Ashton said in a statement.
The E3+3 -- three from within and three from outside the EU -- consists of the five permanent UN Security Council members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States as well as Germany.
"We have seen indications that Iran may be willing to meet," said Ashton.
Western powers fear that Iran's atomic programme is a cover for a nuclear weapons drive. Tehran denies this, saying the programme is aimed at peaceful energy use, which it insists it has the right to pursue.
However the international community's concerns over Tehran's nuclear programme "have increased since the October meeting given Iran's decision to start enriching low enriched uranium to 20 percent".
The move was seen as a push towards weapons-grade uranium as Iran was previously enriching uranium to 3.5 percent.
Ashton's comments came days after the United States introduced a draft resolution at the UN to impose tough new sanctions on Iran, shaking off what it framed as an attempt by Tehran to stall efforts by signing up to a nuclear swap deal.
The draft resolution would expand an arms embargo and measures against Iran's banking sector and ban it from sensitive overseas activities like uranium mining and developing ballistic missiles, a US official said.
On Monday Tehran agreed with emerging powers Brazil and Turkey to swap much of its stockpile of low enriched uranium (LEU) to Turkey in exchange for fuel for a research reactor.
Ashton expects to lead future E3+3 talks with Iran, as her predecessor Javier Solana did before she assumed her post in January.
Last week an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said Tehran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili could hold talks with Ashton in Turkey.
Ashton has asked Ankara to contact Iranian authorities and try to organise talks.
Iran is already under three sets of UN sanctions over its refusal to suspend the sensitive nuclear enrichment.