No short-term hope in nuclear talks, says Iran's atomic chief

Iran's nuclear chief said Monday that he had no hope that talks with world powers would in the short-term settle the dispute over Iran's atomic programme, Trend reported.

The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization was referring to talks with the six world powers Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States on finding a settlement in the dispute over Iran's nuclear projects.

"I do not believe that our nuclear negotiations with the six powers would on the short-term lead to any solution," Fereydoun Abbasi told the IRNA news agency.

Abbasi also implied that Iran would not accept the latest proposal by Russia to adopt a step-by-step approach for enabling resumption of nuclear talks - suspended after the most recent talks in January in Istanbul failed to bring any results.

"Whatever proposal which would weaken our (nuclear) rights would not be accepted ... whether step-by-step or whatever else," said Abbasi, who is also Iranian vice-president.

Tehran has so far rejected the main demand by the six powers, namely the suspension of its uranium enrichment process.

Iran has constantly demanded acknowledgement of its right to pursue a civil nuclear programme, including the controversial enrichment process, as a major pre-condition for the talks.

Tehran said at that time that the deal could bring a breakthrough in the nuclear dispute, but the international community has been sceptical, as the agreement does not address the key issue of uranium enrichment.

Iran had also said that if the swap deal would be implemented, the country would be willing to stop the uranium enrichment at 20 per cent level for producing fuel for the Tehran reactor.

"The production will not stop and we have by now enriched sufficient uranium at 20 percent level for the Tehran reactor," Abbasi said.