TEHRAN, March 5 (RIA Novosti) - Iran could reach nuclear agreement with Russia or the European Trio within the next few hours, an official spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry said Sunday.
Responding to a question about whether there was a probability for Iran and Russia or Iran and the European Union Trio (Great Britain, France and Germany) to reach nuclear agreement in the next few hours, Hamid Reza Asefi said everything was possible - both agreement between the parties and its absence.
During his recent visit to Vienna, Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani discussed, among other things, the issue of nuclear research with European representatives, Asefi said. He added that Iran and the European Union had disagreements on this issue. The European Union insists that Iran should not carry out research in the nuclear sphere while Iran insists on the opposite, Asefi said.
According to Asefi, the continuation of nuclear research is a part of Iran's legitimate rights, and all countries have such rights. Moreover, nuclear research in Iran is not a part of the uranium industrial enrichment, the Iranian diplomat said.
The March 6 meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) could decide to refer the Iranian "nuclear file" to the UN Security Council, which has the power to impose sanctions if Tehran is found to be in breach of its international commitments.
An emergency session of the IAEA board in early February showed that its approach to Iran's position on uranium enrichment and a full nuclear cycle had become noticeably tougher. The board approved a resolution binding ElBaradei to inform the UN Security Council about Iran's nuclear program and position on cooperation, and about the IAEA's actions on the issue, but said Iran still had a chance to stop its nuclear research before the final decision had been made.
Russia and Iran have been discussing the Russian initiative to set up a joint uranium enrichment venture in Russia, with the possible participation of other countries, in particular China.
The mooted deal with Russia on uranium enrichment is seen as a potential compromise in the crisis around the nuclear programs of the Islamic Republic, which some countries suspect of pursuing a covert weapons program. Although Tehran has consistently said it only wants nuclear power for peaceful purposes, the United States and other nations have concerns, as enriched uranium is a vital component for an atomic bomb.
