Reuters: The U.N. nuclear watchdog has offered to guarantee Iran a supply of fuel for its nuclear power plants so that Tehran would not need to enrich its own uranium, Western diplomats said on Friday.
UN offers to guarantee nuke fuel for Iran-diplomats
Iran Sees Small Chance of UN Economic Sanctions
Reuters: Iran believes there is only a 10 percent chance the U.N. Security Council will impose economic sanctions on it if Washington succeeds in sending its nuclear case there, a senior security official said on Friday.
US says ‘time running out’ for Iran to comply with nuclear demands
AFP: The United States said Friday that “time is running out”
for Iran to avoid being hauled before the UN Security Council
for possible sanctions by complying with international demands to halt uranium enrichment activities and come
clean on its suspect nuclear program.
EU considering concession to Iran ahead of nuclear meeting next week
AFP: The European Union is considering making concessions to Iran ahead of a nuclear meeting next week in order to get it to abandon uranium enrichment but the hardline United States is unhappy with such a compromise, a Western diplomat told AFP Friday.
Iran, China sign 100 billion dollar gas deal
AFP: Iran and China have signed a preliminary accord under which China would buy 10 million tonnes a year of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for 25 years in a deal worth 100 billion dollars, the student news agency ISNA said Friday. ISNA quoted Deputy Oil Minister Hadi Nejad-Hosseinian as saying the deal could eventually reach 15 to 20 million tonnes a year, taking the total value to as much as 200 billion dollars.
Pope urges Iran to accept nuclear controls
Reuters: Pope John Paul on Friday told Iran it had a duty to comply with international controls on nuclear proliferation.
The 84-year-old Pope made his views known as Tehran faces an ultimatum to freeze its uranium enrichment programme — which Washington says is a front for making nuclear weapons — or face United Nations sanctions.
Iran Focus:Porous border helps Iranian smugglers
The Associated Press: Kurdish Iranians in poor border towns are taking advantage of the porous boundary with Iraq to sneak into the country for coveted items – like alcohol – to sell back home. For the past three years, Farshid Karimi has earned his living smuggling goods – and dodging border guards.
Iran will continue nuclear talks but rejects threats: Rafsanjani
AFP: Influential former president Hashemi Rafsanjani said Friday that Iran would continue talks with Europe over its nuclear activities but reject any threats aimed at depriving the country of peaceful nuclear technology. “We agree to continue negotiations within the framework of international rules but if the Europeans want to use threats, there is no more place for negotiations,” Rafsanjani said on state radio.
EU, Iran to resume nuclear talks next week
Xinhuanet: The European Union (EU) and Iran will resume nuclear talks in Paris on Nov. 5, diplomats said Thursday.
A second round of discussions between Iran and the EU trio — Britain, Germany and France — in Vienna on Wednesday failed to reach agreement but both sides described the meeting constructive.
