Nuclear talks with Iran set for April

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MOSCOW, March 23 (UPI) -- Six-party negotiations on the status of the nuclear program in Iran will be conducted next month, the deputy chief of the Russian foreign ministry said.

Tehran maintains its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, though other governments say the country is working on the technology needed to produce a nuclear weapon.

The International Atomic Energy Agency last year said there may be military dimensions to Iran's nuclear research.

Iranian officials suggested this month they were ready to consider a resumption of multilateral talks, which would include Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States, to address questions on its nuclear research.

Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Ryabkov was quoted by state-run news agency RIA Novosti as saying the "date of the six-party meeting is not yet fixed but will clearly be in April."

He added, however, that there was "less clarity" on where the talks would take place.

A team with the IAEA said in February it wasn't given access to the Parchin facility in Iran nor was it able to clarify unresolved issues related to possible military dimensions to Iran's nuclear program.

The White House has said all options remain on the table to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.