TEHRAN, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- Iran denied it was considering suspending uranium enrichment for a limited period of time, saying the idea was misunderstood by the West.
Government spokesman Ghulam Hussein Elham told a weekly press conference in Tehran Monday "Iran has not reached a decision in that regard yet and the whole issue (about enrichment suspension) was a misunderstanding."
Tehran has ignored an Aug. 31 deadline served by the international community to suspend uranium enrichment or face possible U.N. sanctions.
Iran insists its controversial nuclear program is for civilian energy use but Western powers, especially the United States, suspect it may be used for building nuclear weapons.
Iranian chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani told European Union Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana at recent talks in Brussels that Tehran is willing to discuss its nuclear program and uranium enrichment-related activities.
But the five permanent members of the Security Council -- the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China -- in addition to Germany, have set enrichment suspension as a precondition to restarting nuclear talks.
Elham reiterated Iran's rejection of preconditioned talks on its controversial nuclear program, saying, "Talks must be without preconditions... No result can be achieved under threats and conditions."
