Announcement follows increased Canada and EU sanctions
In response to announcements of broadening economic sanctions against Iran by Canada and the European Union, Iran has said that it was prepared to return to talks on a nuclear fuel swap “without conditions.” Speaking of a letter that Iran handed to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran’s envoy to the UN 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 move seems to illustrate Iran’s desire to appear willing to negotiate. It was not clear whether this offer of fuel swap talks would be enough to satisfy world powers. The question remains whether Iran will agree to negotiate an end to its enrichment programme, which Iran says is for peaceful purposes only, but Western powers believe it is aimed at developing nuclear weapons.