Better Mood but No Deal in Iran Talks

Talks between Iran and key European ministers ended Friday without a deal to limit Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, though both sides left open the possibility of further negotiations before the issue is taken up by the U.N. Security Council in less than two weeks.

The council is expected to consider action against Iran soon after the International Atomic Energy Agency meets here next week to review the Iranians’ efforts to acquire nuclear enrichment technology.

Despite the apparent failure of Friday’s talks, there were reports that a deal might yet be reached under which Iran would agree to a moratorium on much of its enrichment work but could continue very limited research. Although the European Union and the Bush administration strongly oppose such an arrangement, the idea keeps surfacing and several Vienna-based diplomats who have spoken with the Iranians believe that is the best the West will get.

Uranium enriched to a low level can be used in civilian nuclear reactors to produce electricity. However, with some adjustment the same technology can be used to produce highly enriched uranium for use in nuclear weapons.

Because of continuing uncertainties about Iran’s intentions, the IAEA’s board voted last month to report the Persian Gulf nation to the Security Council for its failure to reestablish a moratorium on enrichment and to answer questions from weapons inspectors. In an effort to halt or slow action by the Security Council, Iran recently held talks with Russian officials and met Friday with the EU negotiators.

After Friday’s meeting, which was held in the elegant Vienna home of the German ambassador, the EU representatives said they remained skeptical of anything less than Iran’s complete cessation of uranium enrichment. The Iranians agreed in 2004 to suspend such activities but ended that moratorium in January.

“In order to rebuild trust, it is necessary to return to a complete suspension of uranium-enrichment-related activities, including those related to research and development,” said French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy, speaking to reporters after the two-hour meeting with Ali Larijani, the Iranian negotiator.

“The key to any solution is trust. It is a simple, legitimate condition, which does not adversely affect Iran’s development. And on this point, unfortunately, we were unable to get an agreement with Mr. Larijani,” Douste-Blazy said.

The British envoy to the Vienna talks, John Sawers, said that the atmosphere was more constructive than at past meetings but that neither side had moved its position and no new proposals were exchanged.

“What we heard was a request [that] we accept [that] they should go ahead with nuclear R&D; [research and development]. We are opposed to that because so-called R&D; is the essential precursor to full-scale enrichment ... needed to build nuclear bombs,” said Sawers, the political director for the British Foreign Office. He stood in for Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who was sick with the flu.

However, in Russia, diplomats refused to rule out the possibility of a deal.

“I would not state that time is running out. Let’s give them a chance,” said Foreign Minister Sergei V. Lavrov, who is heading to the United States next week for discussions. “The negotiations continue.”

The discussions with the Russians center on an offer by Moscow to build with Iran a uranium gas enrichment plant on Russian soil. After enrichment, the uranium would be sent back to Iran for use in civilian reactors, where it would be accounted for by IAEA inspectors.

The discussions with the Europeans, which the Iranians broke off at the end of January, had involved economic and technological assistance as well as security guarantees for Iran in exchange for Tehran giving up enrichment activities.

The Europeans and Russia started with the demand, which was strongly backed by the United States, that Iran abandon its uranium enrichment program. Iran refused and the talks seemed stymied.

But recently, with quiet acceptance from nonaligned countries and from IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei, diplomats close to the negotiations say, there have been proposals under which Iran would end its effort to outfit an industrial-scale facility at its plant in Natanz with 3,000 centrifuges to enrich uranium. In turn, Tehran would retain a very small research capacity, consisting of a small number of centrifuges in its pilot enrichment plant. As part of the deal, the Security Council would not take action against Iran.

Iran is testing 20 centrifuges, but is steadily adding more.

“I don’t think Iran can be persuaded to go back to zero” centrifuges, a Western source close to the talks said. “Iran would like as many centrifuges as it can have .... As Iran progresses along testing centrifuges, it creates facts on the ground.

“So if it’s going to suspend now, it’s going to have 20; that’s the minimum they are going to have,” said the source, who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the negotiations. “Next week it could be more. So there’s an argument that there’s an imperative to get the suspension as quickly as possible.”

Also in question is the length of Iran’s moratorium on most of its enrichment activities. Western diplomats who are close to the talks say Iran wants a moratorium of no more than two years; the EU has called for 10.