Iran Pushes For Talks Without Conditions

No government official in any country involved would publicly discuss details of the Iranian proposal. Privately, several officials said Iran was willing to consider halting its nuclear program, but not as a precondition for the talks. One Iranian official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the suspension could come quickly if talks can begin and Iran can get answers to a list of questions included in the offer yesterday.

Several officials said Iran wants a clarification about security assurances, namely whether the Bush administration intended to negotiate on the nuclear issue while seeking to topple the country's religious leadership.

But an Iranian news agency said yesterday that the government had rejected a halt to its program and "instead has offered a new formula to resolve the issues through dialogue."

Four years ago, Iranian exiles disclosed that the country had a hidden nuclear facility in a mountain range south of Tehran. The revelation set off an investigation by nuclear inspectors with the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency. They uncovered huge facilities for enriching uranium, a process that can create fuel for nuclear energy or the key ingredient at the core of a nuclear bomb.

Since then, inspectors have been trying to determine the scope and history of Iran's nuclear efforts. They have conducted hundreds of inspections, uncovered Iranian experiments with plutonium and uranium, and exposed a secret relationship between Iran and Pakistan, which was instrumental in the development of Iran's nuclear program.

The inspectors, however, have been unable to confirm Tehran's claims that its nuclear energy program is peaceful. Earlier this week, Iran refused a request by inspectors to view construction progress at Natanz, a vast complex that houses the country's uranium-enrichment efforts.

Iran is currently operating three centrifuge cascades, nuclear experts said, one of which is producing small amounts of low-enriched uranium. Although Iran is advancing its nuclear efforts, U.N. inspectors, as well as analysts working for U.S. and British intelligence, think the Iranians are technically poor at enriching uranium. Based on what is known about Iran's program, Western intelligence thinks it will be years before Iran can manufacture enough uranium for a weapon.

Mohammad Saeedi, deputy head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said in comments published yesterday in Tehran that his country is providing "an exceptional opportunity" for negotiation.

"Iran's response to the package is a comprehensive reply that can open the way for resumption of talks for a final agreement," Saeedi said.

Staff writer Colum Lynch at the United Nations contributed to this report.