Iran nuclear deal said near as powers meet

Iran might keep its nuclear program if it agrees to stop enriching uranium to nuclear-weapons level, envoys said ahead of Iranian talks with six global powers. The possibility, first reported by the Los Angeles Times and the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph, would have the United States, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany promise to provide fuel to Iran for a small nuclear reactor used for medical purposes, and to hold off on imposing additional U.N. sanctions, if Iran agrees to stop enriching uranium to 20 percent purity, the diplomats said. That percentage is the level at which the material can quickly be enriched to bomb grade. It is far higher than needed for routine energy-producing reactors. Iran would also have to surrender its existing stockpile of highly enriched uranium, the Times said. Some sanctions against Tehran would be eased, and some might be suspended should the Islamic regime prove in tangible ways its intentions are peaceful, the Telegraph and The New York Times reported. U.S. officials have said they are prepared to offer an easing of existing restrictions on airplane-parts imports, technical assistance to Iran's energy industry, and nuclear-safety help -- and might even affirm Iran's right under the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty to have a peaceful nuclear program, as long as Tehran meets international safeguards, The New York Times said. Western officials say they are not promising what Iran wants most -- relief from tough sanctions on its oil exports and its central bank in place since the end of last year, the Los Angeles Times said. New sanctions on Iranian oil exports are to take effect July 1. The talks in Baghdad -- tentatively scheduled to start around noon local time (5 a.m. EDT) -- were to begin with the six powers presenting a detailed proposal to Iran on concrete confidence-building steps, a senior Western official told The New York Times. The six powers -- the five permanent U.N. Security Council members plus Germany -- would hear a presentation from Iranian chief negotiator Saeed Jalili, the official said. Jalili said Tuesday he was optimistic the talks would signal the dawn of a new era, beyond nuclear cooperation to other regional and international issues, the pro-government Tehran Times reported. The talks were to come a day after the United Nations' atomic watchdog said it was close to a deal giving inspectors access to some of Iran's disputed nuclear sites. International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Yukiya Amano said Tuesday he expected to sign a deal with Iran "quite soon." He cited what he called an "important development" Monday in negotiating a plan for systematically addressing allegations about secret nuclear weapons research by Iranian scientists. While some obstacles remain, a "decision was made to conclude and sign the agreement," Amano told reporters at Vienna International Airport on his return from Tehran. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said he was highly skeptical of Amano's announcement. He said Iran appeared to be trying to create an "appearance of progress" to "reduce the pressure" ahead of the talks "and to postpone an escalation" in sanctions. "Israel believes that Iran must be placed in an unequivocally clear position where there won't be any window or crack for it to advance toward nuclear weapons," he said in a statement. Barak has said an Iran with nuclear weapons posed "an existential threat" to Israel, with the potential to destroy, or drastically restrict, Israeli civilization. Israeli officials have said they might bomb Iranian nuclear sites if they believed the Iranian nuclear efforts went too far. U.S., Israeli and European officials, supported by U.N. weapons inspectors, have said Iran plans to build nuclear weapons. Tehran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful civilian uses only. Obama administration officials said in recent weeks they thought there may be grounds for optimism after an April 14 meeting among the six world powers and Iran in Istanbul, Turkey, which broke a 15-month hiatus in talks. Iran's state-run news media said no deal had been made with Amano. State TV said Iranian scientists successfully loaded uranium fuel into a medical isotope reactor Tuesday. The official Islamic Republic News Agency said Iran would launch a satellite into orbit Wednesday with an upgraded model of its Safir-2 rocket. Washington and Western allies have expressed concern such a rocket could be altered to carry a warhead, The New York Times said.