Iran agrees to resume nuclear negotiations

The U.S. and its allies suspect Iran is trying to develop atom bombs under the cover of its declared civilian uranium enrichment program. Tehran says it needs nuclear technology only to meet booming domestic demand for electricity.

In a response to Catherine Ashton’s letter sent three months ago, Iranian chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili “underlined that the [next] talks should be just and with no pressure exerted,” the state-run Iranian Arabic-language television channel al Alam reported.

Analysts said references to “just” and “no pressure” are Iranian code meaning no discussions of enrichment, which Tehran sees as its sovereign right. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said again Monday that Iran would not give ground on enrichment.

After talks with Ashton in February, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said he hoped there would be further meetings with the “P-5+1,” the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council – the U.S., Russia, China, France and Britain – plus Germany. However, no date was set.

Negotiations held in Istanbul in January failed after Tehran again ruled out suspending enrichment in defiance of several U.N. Security Council resolutions passed since 2006.

In Paris, the French Foreign Ministry called on Tehran to react positively. “We hope that after almost three months since Iran received [Ashton’s] letter, the Iranians will finally offer a constructive response to our proposals, go back on the preconditions for dialogue that they set in Istanbul and that they will make it possible to have real negotiations with the six [powers],” ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said.

“We are waiting for the Iranians finally to choose the path of dialogue and cooperation.”

Al-Alam reported that the letter to Ashton had been handed over in Vienna by Iran’s ambassador to the EU.

“I am happy you are returning to talks. Respecting nations’ rights and avoiding use of pressure are the two main pillars of cooperation,” Jalili said, according to a statement to Reuters by the Supreme National Security Council, which he heads.

Ahmadinejad said Monday that the next round of nuclear talks would be held in Istanbul, without giving a date.

The six powers may not rush back to talks without any prospect of agreement, especially since many Western diplomats say it is in Iran’s interests to drag out negotiations while it increases its stockpile of enriched uranium.

Iran says the other countries must respect its “nuclear rights” and its enrichment activities are not negotiable.