European envoys have opened a second round of talks with Iran aimed at persuading Tehran to scrap its uranium enrichment program in exchange for peaceful nuclear technology.
The new talks in Vienna come amid mixed signals from Iran over its nuclear ambitions. Early this week, the Tehran government rejected a proposal from France, Britain and Germany to stop its uranium enrichment activities, saying the proposal is unbalanced.
But the Iranian Foreign Ministry later said Tehran still hopes to negotiate a compromise deal with the Europeans.
The United States has accused Iran of enriching uranium to develop nuclear weapons, and wants the International Atomic Energy Agency to refer the matter to the United Nations Security Council for possible sanctions.
Iran insists its nuclear intentions are peaceful.