The North was expected to suspend uranium enrichment the main hurdle to restarting the six-party talks.
It has offered in rather confused form to suspend uranium enrichment during negotiations.
It also agreed to suspend uranium enrichment and to allow back UN weapons inspectors as part of the deal.
Professor Nasr, the Bush administration continues to insist that Iran suspend uranium enrichment before negotiations can begin, but Iran continues to refuse to do so.
Security Council resolution passed last month called on Tehran to suspend uranium enrichment by Aug. 31 or face the threat of economic and diplomatic sanctions.
Iran said Sunday that it will offer a "multifaceted response" Tuesday to a Western package of incentives aimed at persuading Tehran to rein in its nuclear program, but insisted it won't suspend uranium enrichment altogether.
Now if Iran were to suspend uranium enrichment - and I guess we have to make that conditional for now - how would that fit in with the effort to get sanctions imposed on Iran?
This week they said that Iran would suspend its uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing activities, in return for European concessions over trade.
She persuaded President George W. Bush that the U.S. should engage in direct negotiations with the terrorist-supporting-and-fomenting mullahs if Iran agreed to suspend its uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities.
But after Tehran hid an enrichment program for years in breach of the treaty, the UN Security Council has passed half a dozen resolutions since 2006 demanding Iran suspend all uranium enrichment until it proves its nuclear activities are for civilian purposes.
Mr. SANGER: Well, that's the interesting question here, because the Iranians could be expected to say first and foremost, that's fine, we're happy to talk to you about Iraq as soon as you stop this whole effort to get us to suspend our uranium enrichment.
Determined to give effect to its unmet 31 July demand that Iran suspend all uranium enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, the Security Council today imposed sanctions on that country, blocking the import or export of sensitive nuclear materiel and equipment and freezing the financial assets of persons or entities supporting its proliferation sensitive nuclear activities or the development of nuclear-weapon delivery systems.
Earlier this month, North Korea, the ever-volatile nuclear power, said it would suspend its uranium-enrichment program and missile tests in return for the Obama administration's decision to deliver 240, 000 metric tons of food aid.
It also requires Iran to suspend - not end but suspend - its current uranium enrichment before the U.S. will come to the negotiating table.
Condi Rice has a similar deal on offer for Iran, if only it will "suspend" its enrichment of uranium.
And rather than suspend its own suspect uranium-enrichment efforts (the stuff can be used for power generation or, with further enrichment, abused for bomb-making), Iran insists it will press ahead at all speed, even though it has no nuclear reactors that need the stuff.
Even though Iran has made absolutely clear that it refuses to end uranium enrichment activities, or even to suspend them, the Europeans continue to insist on negotiating with the mullahs and refuse to take even the smallest concrete step against Iran in the UN Security Council.
The U.S. and its allies are seeking to gain Iran's willingness to suspend its production of near weapons-grade nuclear material at its uranium-enrichment sites in return for economic incentives.
WSJ: Iran Says It Is Set for Nuclear Talks, but West Is Skeptical
But the West remains deeply suspicious and alarmed at what it fears is subterfuge and deliberate procrastination to conceal Iranian plans to be able to make weapons from its uranium stocks, and therefore the Western demand remains that Iran must suspend nuclear enrichment.
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