Iran: No Plan Approved in Nuclear Talks

“During the process of expert-level talks, various plans and initiatives are presented and discussed by the two sides,” Afkham said referring to a Friday report by the New York Times that says US negotiators in the nuclear talks with Iran have put forward a proposal to allow Iran to keep its 19,000 nuclear centrifuges, but take away many of the pipes that connect the centrifuges.

“So far, no proposal has been approved by all parties” Afkham said.

According to the report, if the plumbing is removed, “the United States and its allies could accurately claim that they have extended the time Iran would need to produce enough fuel for a bomb — and given the West time to react.”

Tehran, a signatory to the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty), has already rejected the allegations by the US and its allies that it is after nuclear weapons. Iran has constantly declared that it needs the nuclear technology for peaceful purposes including generating electricity and producing medical isotopes.

Nuclear negotiators representing Iran and the six world powers (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) started a fresh round of talks on Tehran’s civilian nuclear work in New York on Friday.

The negotiations are expected to run until at least September 26 on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly.

Iran and the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) on November 24, 2013, signed an interim nuclear deal in the Swiss city of Geneva.

Based on the interim deal, the world powers agreed to suspend some non-essential sanctions and to impose no new nuclear-related bans in return for Tehran's decision to freeze parts of its nuclear activities.

In July, Tehran and the six countries agreed to extend negotiations until November 24 in the hope of clinching a final deal.