EU to Give Iran Nuclear Offer Today

Britain, France and Germany plan today to give Iran new proposals for economic and political cooperation meant to persuade the government in Tehran to abandon all activities that might be used to make a nuclear bomb.

Diplomats gave no details of the new European Union proposals.

The three countries also plan to call a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency early next week to warn Iran against restarting sensitive nuclear work, diplomats said.

There was no immediate comment from officials in Tehran, though a senior Iranian negotiator repeated earlier that Iran planned to resume uranium conversion work at its Esfahan nuclear facility.

Conversion, which Iran agreed to suspend along with other sensitive nuclear activities under a November deal with the EU, is the step before enrichment, which can purify uranium to the levels needed to fuel nuclear reactors or to make bombs.

Iran says it aims only to generate electricity and has a right to a peaceful nuclear program, but Washington suspects that it plans to make weapons.

The EU is hoping to persuade Tehran to give up all nuclear technologies that could have military uses.

Iran, which says it is losing patience with EU negotiators, repeatedly threatened this week to resume uranium processing if it did not get an incentive proposal on schedule.