Surprise U-turn follows EU approval of stricter sanctions on Iran that include a block on gas and oil investment
Iran said today it was ready to return to talks on a nuclear fuel swap, a surprise that came shortly after the EU agreed tougher sanctions, including a block on oil and gas investment.
Shortly after EU foreign ministers approved extra restrictions that went well beyond UN sanctions agreed last month, Iran said it was prepared to return to negotiations on a nuclear fuel swap "without conditions", according to the official IRNA news agency.
Talking of a letter that Iran handed to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran's envoy to the U.N. agency, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, said: "The clear message of this letter was Iran's complete readiness to hold negotiations over the fuel for the Tehran reactor without any conditions."The announcement appeared to be an Iranian signal of willingness to negotiate as a net of UN, EU and U.S. sanctions tightens around it, but it was not clear that the quick offer of fuel swap talks would be enough to placate world powers.
The EU foreign affairs chief, Lady Ashton, welcomed Iran's offer of a return to negotiations but said she wanted to see the details before commenting further.
The Guardian
