Iran rejects EU nuke proposals, wants talks

Iran on Sunday rejected a European Union proposal that it scrap uranium enrichment in return for nuclear technology, increasing the likelihood it will be reported to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.

Tehran however said it was still interested in reaching a deal to ease international concerns about its nuclear programme after further negotiations with the EU. ‘‘The EU proposal is unbalanced… an indefinite uranium (enrichment) suspension is unacceptable for Iran,’’ Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said.

Diplomats said if Iran rejected the proposal drafted by Britain, Germany and France, most EU countries would back a US demand that Tehran be reported to the Security Council when the International Atomic Energy Agency meets on November 25.

Hossein Mousavian, one of Iran’s top negotiators, acknowledged that was a possibility. ‘‘Iran has fully prepared itself for the possible consequences,’’ he said. —Reuters