Iran rejects EU proposal on nuclear program

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran today rejected Europe’s proposal for ending the standoff over Tehran’s nuclear program, calling the package “unacceptable” and not up to Tehran’s “minimum expectations.”

“The European proposals are unacceptable and against the provisions of the Paris agreement,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said on state radio.

On Friday, European diplomats had sought to entice Iran into a binding commitment not to build atomic arms by offering to provide fuel and other long-term support to help Iranians generate electricity with nuclear energy.

The Bush administration backed the offer.

The proposal to Iran came from Britain, France and Germany, which are representing the European Union. The three offered greater economic, political and security cooperation if Tehran agreed to the plan.

Iran has long claimed its nuclear program is solely for the peaceful production of electricity, while Washington charges the real aim is to produce arms. The discovery of clandestine aspects of Iran’s program raised worries among other nations.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog announced it would hold an emergency meeting Tuesday to formally warn Iran not to resume uranium enrichment at its plant in Isfahan.