Iran is going to restart the uranium enrichment program

Iran threatened on Thursday to restart its &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/diplomatic/2002/10/31/38949.html ' target=_blank>uranium enrichment program if talks with European Union heavyweights France, Britain and Germany fail on Friday.

Iran is due to hold talks in London on Friday with Britain, France and Germany, who share Washington's suspicions that Iran may be planning to develop nuclear arms and want Iran to give up uranium enrichment in return for incentives such as trade deals.

Iran insists its nuclear ambitions are limited to the peaceful generation of electricity and says uranium enrichment is a sovereign right it will never renounce. Four months of talks have not changed Tehran's position, tells Reuters.

The EU-3 expected &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/politics/2001/03/10/2902.html ' target=_blank>Tehran to provoke a crisis after Friday's meeting because the Europeans will not give the Iranians a clear yes or no response to Iran's proposal that it be permitted to gradually build up its enrichment program, EU diplomats said.

Cyrus Nasseri, Iran's chief negotiator, told the FT that, other than "differences on nitty-gritty and details", it remained for Europe to come down "to making a decision" over whether it wanted negotiations to continue.