The European Union wants Iran to keep its uranium enrichment program frozen at least until its June 17 presidential election, after which it would hope to resume negotiations with Tehran, EU diplomats said.
But the diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the task will not be easy when the foreign ministers of France, Britain and Germany meet Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Hassan Rohani, in Europe next week.
"The question is: what will the Europeans offer the Iranians to keep them at the negotiating table? The Iranians will have to bring something concrete back with them," one diplomat said.
Diplomats said the meeting would probably be in Geneva on Wednesday, though both the date and venue could change.
Iran strongly denies U.S. accusations it is trying to build atomic weapons, saying its facilities are for civilian energy. It agreed to suspend enrichment activities in November as a trust-building measure following talks with the EU three.
But an exiled dissident on Friday accused Iran of smuggling in a material to use in weapons, including nuclear arms.
Alireza Jafarzadeh, who has reported accurately in the past on Iran's hidden nuclear facilities and activities, said the substance was a graphite compound, "ceramic matrix composite."
"Iran is smuggling it into the country for its nuclear weapons program," he told Reuters, saying his information came from "well-placed sources inside Iran."
The sad thing is that the Euros think the question is what they can offer the Iranians. As if the Iranians would stop their drive for a nuclear bomb for any monetary inducements. Oh, the Euros can convince the Iranians to accept those monetary inducements. Make no mistake on that part. And the Euros will count that as a major diplomatic victory. Until a few years go by and we point out that Iran has not in fact halted their progress toward a nuclear bomb.
Then the Euros will learn their lesson--and offer even more money.
