Iran says talks could be West’s “last chance”: report

Reuters: Talks between Iran and major powers concerned about its nuclear program to be held in Turkey next week could be the “last chance” for the West, a senior Iranian official was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

TEHRAN (Reuters) – Talks between Iran and major powers concerned about its nuclear program to be held in Turkey next week could be the “last chance” for the West, a senior Iranian official was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

Official news agency IRNA quoted Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, as saying that once Iran is able to make its own fuel for a medical research reactor, it might not return to any future talks if the Istanbul meeting fails.

“It might be the last chance because by installing fuel rods produced by Iran into the core of the Tehran Research Reactor, probably parliament will not allow the government to negotiate or send its uranium outside the country and the Istanbul meeting might be the last chance for the West to return to talks,” Soltanieh was quoted as saying to French media.

(Reporting by Ramin Mostafavi; Writing by Robin Pomeroy; Editing by Jon Hemming)