MOSCOW, March 2 (RIA Novosti) - Iran hopes talks with Russia on a package of proposals on an uranium enrichment joint venture will resume in the near future, the Islamic Republic's top nuclear negotiator said Thursday.
"Diplomats need time to think," said Ali Larijani, the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council. "Our opinions coincided on many of the issues discussed at the talks yesterday, but a raft of measures requires thorough thinking."
"We hope the talks will resume in the near future, but I cannot give an exact date," he added.
The latest round of talks on the Russian proposal to enrich uranium for Iran on Russian soil ended in Moscow Wednesday with both parties resolving to continue discussions shortly.
The initiative is designed to prevent Iran from producing bomb-grade fuel and deter economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic, which is accused by the U.S. and Europe of pursing a military nuclear program in secret.
The board of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog, is scheduled to meet March 6 to determine whether Iran is in breach with its international nuclear commitments. It could refer the case to the UN Security Council, which has the power to impose sanctions.
Iran insists it needs nuclear technology for power generation, citing its rights under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. 
Mohammed ElBaradei, the IAEA director general, said in late January that UN checks had failed to produce any convincing evidence that Iran was pursuing military programs.
On Thursday, Larijani said Iran and Russia had made some major steps toward implementing the Russian proposals.
He said the joint venture-related proposals should heed Iran's right to use nuclear energy in peaceful purposes, as well as address both "false and real" concerns expressed by the United States.
"They [the U.S.] claim that Iran pursues nuclear weapons, which is not true," Larijani said. "We want the [Russian] project to set out UN inspection and monitoring procedures. A comprehensive approach could give answers to all emerging issues."
