LONDON, April 20: Europe must heed an Iranian proposal on uranium enrichment or risk a collapse of talks about Iran’s nuclear programme, the country’s top nuclear official said in an interview published on Wednesday. The warning by Hassan Rowhani, head of the supreme national security council, came as diplomats from Britain, France and Germany — the EU Three — began talks with their Iranian counterparts in Geneva, ahead of a more senior-level meeting in London on April 29.

“The Europeans should tell us whether these ideas can work as the basis for continued negotiations or not,” Mr Rowhani told the Financial Times, referring to the Iranian proposal made last month that would allow some uranium enrichment.

“If yes fine. If not, then the negotiations cannot continue,” he said. “These ideas are the very last possible ideas that we could come up with as compromise options.”

EU negotiators have been studying the suggestion, and there have been hints of a crack in their unity over this issue.

But one European diplomat said on Tuesday, repeating a comment made last week, that the European trio remains “rock-solid on cessation” by Iran of uranium enrichment, which makes fuel for nuclear reactors but can also be the explosive core of nuclear bombs.

The United States charges that Iran is secretly developing nuclear weapons.

The Financial Times noted that Britain, France and Germany would be struggling over the next 10 days to find a formula that would keep the talks going, without compromising on uranium enrichment.

It cited Western diplomats as saying that concessions to Tehran would undermine Washington’s support for the talks.

Rowhani stopped short of threatening a resumption of uranium enrichment, which Iran agreed to suspend while the talks continued, but the newspaper said a complete breakdown in negotiations would probably end the suspension.

Such a development would also send the matter to the UN Security Council, where Iran could face sanctions — a prospect that the Europeans would not relish, Mr Rowhani suggested.

“For our dossier to be sent to the Security Council would be a great failure on the part of Europe, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and multilateralism as a whole,” he told the Financial Times.

In a bid at a co-ordinated strategy with Europe, the United States dropped objections to Iran joining the World Trade Organization last month and to the sale of aircraft spare parts to Tehran, the economic daily said.

In return, Britain, France and Germany agreed to support the US bid to send Iran’s case to the United Nations if Tehran resumed uranium enrichment.

Mr Rowhani said the recent American steps were symbolic. But he cast doubt on the potential for a thaw in relations with Washington.

“The key is held in Washington itself. A country which expresses interest to hold talks at the same time cannot be working for regime change. So the US must clearly announce its strategy towards my country,” he said.—AFP