Iran Nuclear Deal Inches Forward

Iran is expected to announce this week a full suspension of activities that can contribute to nuclear arms production as part of a deal with European powers, diplomats said Monday.

Iran’s foreign minister also indicated that the preliminary agreement negotiated with France, Germany and Britain could be signed soon, but Iranian hard-liners criticized the deal and urged the government to ignore calls to continue the suspension of nuclear activities.

“The trend of negotiations was a positive trend,” Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi told Iranian state-run television Monday. “We hope the deal between Iran and Europeans can be finalized and create the necessary confidence.”

Outlining for the first time the contours of a confidential agreement hammered out over the weekend, the diplomats said on condition of anonymity that the deal still could collapse because of resistance to cooperation with the Europeans by conservative leaders in the Islamic Republic.

Iran suspended uranium enrichment last year but has repeatedly refused to stop related activities, such as reprocessing uranium or building centrifuges, insisting that its program is intended purely for generating electricity.

“We came very close to agreement [Sunday], but we still need to hear the final word” from Iran, said Cristina Gallach, a spokeswoman for Javier Solana, the European Union’s foreign policy chief.

One of the diplomats, who was briefed on the substance of the weekend talks in Paris, agreed, saying, “We think it will be a yes. The noises are positive, but we are not sure.”

Any such deal would be significant because it would commit Iran not only to continue its freeze on enriching uranium but to stop related activities.

Uranium enriched to a low level can be used to produce nuclear fuel for reactors to generate electricity. If enriched further, it can be used to make weapons.