TEHRAN, July 15 (UPI) -- Iran will consider direct talks with United States on its uranium enrichment program, a foreign ministry spokesman said Sunday.
Tehran has consistently denied claims by the United States and other countries that it is enriching uranium for nuclear weapons, insisting the uranium is used for civilian purposes.
Foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said Iran would consider an International Atomic Energy Agency proposal for negotiations, RIA Novosti reported.
The statement could signal a change of heart for the regime, which faces international sanctions for failing to meet a May 24 deadline for halting uranium enrichment.
Iranian diplomats and United Nations representatives can discuss the proposal further during a meeting with the nuclear watchdog agency scheduled for July 25 in Vienna, Hosseini said.
