Iran and European Union’s three big powers reached a tentative deal that could see Tehran avert UN Security Council sanctions over its disputed nuclear programme, Iranian and EU officials said today.The agreement, hammered out during two days of talks in Paris that ended yesterday, just awaits the go-ahead from Iran’s clerical leadership, EU diplomatic sources said.Under the deal Iran would freeze all nuclear fuel enrichment and reprocessing activities until it has reached a final agreement with EU over a package of economic, technological and security incentives in return for abandoning potentially weapons-related nuclear activities, they added.‘‘The time-frame (of the enrichment suspension) will be given by the pace of reaching overall agreement,’’ an EU diplomat said.A deal with the EU trio of Britain, Germany and France is Iran’s best hope of avoiding a showdown with US in the UNSC. Recently re-elected, US President George W. Bush has dubbed Iran an ‘‘axis of evil’’ member and vowed to prevent it from acquiring nuclear arms. Israel also refuses to rule out strategic strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities.Washington wants Iran’s case sent to the Security Council but agreed last month to give the EU trio a final opportunity to negotiate a solution with Iran, which says its nuclear plants will only be used for a civilian programme. The EU trio told Iran it must freeze uranium enrichment before the November 25 board meeting of the UN’s atomic watchdog or face the Security Council.‘‘All four delegations are supposed to go to their capitals and if the capitals agree with the agreement, it will be officially announced in the next few days,’’ said Hossein Mousavian, head of Iran’s delegation in Paris. —Reuters
