WASHINGTON — The Obama administration and its European allies are preparing proposals that would shift strategy toward Iran by dropping a long- standing American insistence that Tehran rapidly shut down nuclear facilities during the early phases of negotiations over its atomic program, according to officials involved in the discussions.
The proposals, exchanged in confidential strategy sessions with European allies, would press Tehran to open up its nuclear program gradually to wide-ranging inspection. But the proposals would also allow Iran to continue enriching uranium for some period during the talks, a sharp break in the approach taken by the Bush administration, which had demanded that Iran halt its enrichment activities.
Officials involved in the discussion said they were being fashioned to draw Iran into nuclear talks.
