The Washington Times reported Tuesday that Iran is willing to temporarily suspend enriching uranium for a period of 90 days, on condition the deal is kept secret, due to the government's fear the move will be interpreted by the population as a sign of weakness.
The report, by correspondent Bill Gertz, was probably leaked to him by senior officials who oppose the short-term 90 day suspension,
and who are trying to thwart the deal.
Meanwhile, officials in the State Department are in favor of the move, claiming that a short-term solution may lead to a long-term halt in uranium enrichment. The opposition to the move comes from within the Department of Defense and the defense establishment, which claim that the short term suspension will only be used to further stall international efforts.
An official in the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Mohammad Said,i denied the report in the Washington Times and told the ISNA Iranian news agency that the issue of suspending enrichment will not be discussed in talks between European foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Ali Larijani, head of the Iranian nuclear program.
The talks between Iran and the Europeans are seen as a last ditch effort to resolve the nuclear crisis between Iran and the international community. These efforts are an attempt to help Iran avoid international sanctions for not stopping uranium enrichment by August 31 as stipulated by UN resolution 1696.
Dudi Cohen contributed to this report
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