Nuclear Deal: U.S. Eager to Give Iran More Time

According to a U.S. official, the United States is willing to give Iran more time to consider the uranium-enrichment proposal that will yield fuel for an Iranian nuclear research reactor.

Photo: Nuclear Deal: U.S. Eager to Give Iran More Time

Glyn Davies, US Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Washington 's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Glyn Davies, told reporters in Vienna Monday that, in his words, "we want to give Iran some space."

Davies also noted the negotiations have gone beyond the scheduled time frame.

Iran has not officially responded to a U.N.-backed uranium enrichment deal that was drafted three weeks ago in Vienna. But leading Iranian parliamentarian Alaeddin Boroujerdi Saturday indicated Tehran will reject the plan to send any of its 1,200 kilograms of enriched uranium abroad for further enrichment, Voice of America reports.

It was also reported, the proposal for Iran to part with stocks of potential nuclear explosive material in exchange for fuel to keep a nuclear medicine facility running has stumbled on Iranian calls for amendments, but Tehran has not rejected it outright.

Addressing Iran's misgivings over sending low-enriched uranium (LEU) abroad before it gets reactor fuel in return, the U.N. nuclear agency chief has suggested Iran place the LEU in a friendly third country such as Turkey, pending arrival of the fuel.

Iranian and Turkish officials discussed the idea on Monday on the sidelines of an Islamic states conference in Istanbul attended by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Turkish officials said. They did not elaborate, Reuters reports.

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton, visiting Germany for celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of the collapse of the Berlin Wall, said there would be consequences if the Iranian leadership "failed to fulfill their obligations" on the nuclear issue.

"We believe that this offer represents an important opportunity for Iran both to meet the medical and humanitarian needs that the Tehran research reactor fills and to begin to restore international confidence in their nuclear program," she told a joint news conference with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, The Washington Post reports.