Iran reaffirmed its determination to pursue a fully-fledged nuclear programme today as the top three European powers reopened dialogue with Tehran over concerns that it is secretly trying to make atomic bombs.
Iran's Permanent Representative to the UN Mohammad Mehdi Akhondzadeh Basti is pictured leaving his car for talks in the French embassy in Vienna
Confrontation rather than compromise has been brewing after declarations from Iran that the Holocaust is a myth and Israel should be wiped out, and a European Union accusation yesterday that Tehran has systematically violated human rights at home.
Iranian delegate Mohammad Mehdi Akhonzadeh said after a morning session of talks - the first face-to-face meeting of the sides in four months - that the atmosphere was "good". "We expressed our views and came to know each other.
It's too early to talk about results. We'll know more after the second session this afternoon," he said outside the French embassy in Vienna where the meeting took place.
The Iranian and French, German and British envoys were to reconvene at Iran's mission to the Vienna-based UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). EU officials had no immediate comment on the talks.
They said earlier the likely outcome would be a decision, taken back in EU capitals, on whether to meet again in January.
The Islamic republic's increasingly vocal hostility towards the Jewish state and commitment to developing sensitive technology that could yield ingredients for nuclear weaponry have stoked Western concern about its atomic ambitions.
Tehran says it aims only to generate more electricity for an energy-hungry economy. But it dodged UN nuclear inspectors for 18 years until 2003 and the West says its cooperation since has fallen short of what is needed to regain diplomatic confidence.
EU officials said Wednesday's meeting would be "talks about talks" - exploring whether any basis exists for renewed negotiations.
The EU3 froze the talks in August. "We won't reopen negotiations, we will only listen to what the Iranians have to say, especially about research and development," said an EU3 diplomat, alluding to centrifuge machines capable of enriching uranium to arms-grade level.
"We will see whether what they say to us in private is any different from what they have been declaring in public, to see if there is wiggle room for resuming negotiations."