Vienna – European nations on Tuesday weighed adding a light-water reactor to a package of incentives meant to persuade Tehran to give up uranium enrichment – or face the threat of U.N. Security Council sanctions.
Senior diplomats and European Union officials said the plans were being discussed by France, Britain and Germany as part of a proposal to be presented to representatives of the five permanent U.N. Security Council members at a meeting in London.
The diplomats and EU government officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the confidential nature of the information.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said a “package” was being prepared for Iran’s consideration that would give Tehran a choice between intransigence and a “pathway of cooperation.” He declined to say whether a light-water reactor would be offered to Iran.
McCormack said Tehran would be required to halt its program of enriching and reprocessing uranium on Iranian soil.
“We and others do not want the Iranian regime to have the ability to master those critical pathways to a nuclear weapon,” he said.
There was no immediate comment from Tehran on the reported package.
Those in Europe who spoke to The Associated Press emphasized the possible offer was tentative, complex and depended on demonstrated good nuclear behavior by Iran over time.
“It’s much more complicated than simply saying the EU is going to offer light-water reactors,” said one European government official, declining to elaborate.
A light-water reactor is considered less likely to be misused for nuclear proliferation than the heavy water facility Iran is building.
