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Iran willing to consider enrichment levels during talks

GENEVA, Switzerland, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- The scale of enrichment in Iran's nuclear program is up for debate though enrichment itself is not a matter for negotiation, an Iranian minister said.

Two days of multilateral talks among Iran, Germany and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council were described as substantive last week in a rare bilateral statement from the Iranian and European governments.

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Iran says it is willing to allay international concerns over a nuclear program but enriching uranium isn't up for debate. Iran's adversaries view enriching uranium to 20 percent purity as a key step on the path to a nuclear weapon.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said enrichment is a right but there may be some leeway.

"The dimensions, range, size and details of enrichment can be an issue for negotiations," he was quoted by Iran's semiofficial Fars News Agency as saying Monday.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has sought to ally international concerns over a nuclear program since taking the oath of office in August. The next round of multilateral nuclear talks is set for Nov. 7-8 in Geneva.

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