Jalili likely to meet Ashton

Iran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili is likely to meet Catharine Ashton, the foreign policy chief of the European Union, in Turkey.

The meeting, the dates for which are yet to be finalised, will take place against the backdrop of fresh threats on Tuesday by the global powers of economic sanctions against Tehran. The sanctions threat came a day after Iran, Brazil and Turkey had signed what appeared to be a tension-easing nuclear swap deal.

Iran's Atomic Energy chief Ali Akbar Salehi said on Wednesday that both Mr. Jalili and Ms. Ashton are ready to hold talks. The location of the meeting will be announced soon, but the talks are likely to be held in Turkey, he said.

Reacting to the circulation of the sanctions draft by the United States at the United Nations Security Council, Mr. Salehi said that this had been done by the western countries in response to the initiative taken by developing countries like Iran, Brazil and Turkey to resolve the nuclear crisis. The Iranian official said the West had “discredited” itself by threatening Iran with sanctions. He added that this was the “last attempt” by the West to pursue sanctions against Iran.

On May 12, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) had reported that Iran had welcomed a proposal by Ms. Ashton to resume talks over the Iranian nuclear programme. A day earlier, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Tehran had accepted Ms. Ashton's request for nuclear talks, Iran's state run Press TV reported.

“[Ms.] Ashton expressed desire to negotiate with Iranian officials on several occasions... the Islamic Republic of Iran agreed on a meeting between Ms. Ashton and Mr. Saeed Jalili, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator. This meeting will take place,” Mr. Mehmanparast was then quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, Xinhua news agency quoted a U.N.-based Chinese diplomat as saying it would probably take two to three weeks for the Security Council to vote on the sanctions draft. That would give the five permanent members enough time to discuss with the 10 non-permanent members the “very complicated” sanctions draft resolution.