Iran discusses "serious" nuclear ideas with Russia

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran discussed with Russia on Monday its proposals to defuse a nuclear row with the West, which accuses Tehran of seeking to build atomic bombs.

Iran said earlier this month it would unveil ideas to help end the dispute over its nuclear ambitions, which have prompted three rounds of U.N. sanctions since 2006 for its refusal to heed U.N. demands to halt sensitive uranium enrichment work.

But a senior Iranian official said Tehran would never negotiate over its right to nuclear technology, suggesting Iran is not willing to rein in its work in line with U.N. demands.

"Iran ... has serious proposals regarding the nuclear issue, about what to do to minimize the nuclear threat around the world," Jalili said without giving specifics about the package.

The proposals were discussed with Valentin Sobolev, acting secretary of Russia's National Security Council, an Iranian official said. Further talks would be held on Tuesday, he added.

Jalili said the ideas addressed security and political issues and would underpin "talks among influential and major powers, and Iran as a major power in the region can play an important role."

A senior diplomat in Europe said Iran had earlier proposed turning its Natanz enrichment complex into a multilateral operation to counter foreign fears of diversions to bombmaking there, and that this might be among Iran's proposals.

Sobolev, speaking through an interpreter at a joint news conference with Jalili, said he had discussed the nuclear issue, as well as technical and military cooperation with Jalili. "Iran's activities are peaceful," he said.

After meeting Iran's Atomic Energy Organization chief Gholamreza Aghazadeh, Sobolev said: "Mr Aghazadeh told us there is a such a proposal to resolve Iran's nuclear issue and we assured (Iran) we will review this proposal very carefully."

Aghazadeh said following those talks: "Iran will never discuss with anyone its rights to nuclear technology."

ACCUSATIONS

Iran, the world's fourth largest oil producer, insists its atomic work is to master skills to generate electricity and has vowed not to give up uranium enrichment which can be used to make power plant fuel or material for bombs, if desired.

The United States and Britain this month pledged a united effort to stop, possibly by expanding sanctions, what they say is Iran's bid to build a nuclear weapon.

Russia, along with China, has been reluctant to back more sanctions in the past although it supported all three U.N. resolutions when it came to a vote at the U.N. Security Council.

World powers are considering enhancing a package of trade and other incentives for Iran, previously proposed in 2006, if it stops enriching uranium.

The talks with Russia came the same day as Olli Heinonen, the International Atomic Energy Agency's top investigator, was in Tehran to discuss intelligence allegations that Iran researched how to make nuclear bombs.

A senior diplomat close to the IAEA said Heinonen had been expected to present Iran with a copy of some of the intelligence to launch a delicate process of eliciting credible Iranian explanations by the end of May.

Up to now Iran has denied the intelligence reports but not backed up its position with evidence.

Heinonen was to return to Vienna late on Monday, but aides will stay on until Thursday for further talks, diplomats said.

"We will cooperate with the agency as the only relevant technical organization, and in case of any question or ambiguity we will provide the answers away from any political ballyhoo," said Iran's IAEA ambassador, Ali Asghar Soltanieh.

In a presentation in February, Heinonen indicated links in Iran between projects to process uranium, test explosives and modify a missile cone in a way suitable for a nuclear warhead.

The intelligence came variously from a laptop computer given to Washington by an Iranian defector in 2004, from some other Western countries and the agency's own inquiries.

(Additional reporting by Hossein Jaseb and Hashem Kalantari in Tehran and Mark Heinrich in Geneva; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Dominic Evans)