Iran minister floats 'trade-off' in nuclear dispute

FM Salehi tells Der Spiegel 'if our right to enrichment is recognized, we will voluntary limit amount of our enrichment'

AFP|Published: 10.07.12 , 17:35

The Iranian foreign minister has proposed a "trade-off" in the country's stand-off with the West over its disputed nuclear program, in an interview with a German news magazine.

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In Monday's edition of Der Spiegel, Ali Akbar Salehi reiterates that Iran has a right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes and insists there is no proof it is conducting nuclear research for military ends.

However he said: "If our right to enrichment is recognized, we are ready for a trade-off. We would, on a voluntary basis, limit the amount of our enrichment."

But he said in the interview published in German that Iran would need "the guaranteed supply" of appropriate fuels from abroad.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said last week that Iran would not back down on its nuclear drive despite the problems caused by Western sanctions, including a dramatic slide in the value of its currency.

European Union ministers are due to meet on October 15 when Britain, France and Germany will press for tougher sanctions on Iran's energy sector and financial institutions.