Iran is ready to consider suspending uranium enrichment for up to two months, diplomats said in Vienna today.
The diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity in exchange for disclosing confidential information, spoke shortly after talks between senior Iranian and the European Union focusing on Tehran's defiance of a UN Security Council resolution demanding suspension of the activity came to an end this afternoon.
The diplomats said the compromise was mentioned by Ali Larijani, Tehran's chief nuclear negotiator, during his meeting with the EU's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana.
One diplomat said Mr Larijani floated the possibility of stopping enrichment activities "voluntarily, for one or two months if presented … in such a way that it does it without pressure."
Such a concession would be a major departure by Iran, which is under threat of possible UN Security Council for ignoring an Aug. 31 deadline to halt all enrichment activities.
Earlier, both Mr Larijani and Mr Solana spoke of progress in their discussions and agreed to meet again later this week.
Their talks had been given little chance after months of a building crisis over enrichment. But while neither side disclosed the substance of the talks, Solana said that "the meeting was worth it" and Larijani told reporters that "many of the misunderstandings were removed.
"We have reached a common point of view on a number of issues," Mr Larijani said.
The meeting had been billed as possibly the last chance for Iran to avoid penalties for rejecting the Security Council's demand.
Iran says its nuclear program is intended solely to produce fuel for nuclear reactors to generate electricity. But there are growing concerns Tehran seeks the technology to enrich uranium for use in atomic warheads.
The talks were focused on seeking common ground for negotiations between six world powers and Iran. While the five permanent Security Council members the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia along with Germany have demanded that Iran fully freeze enrichment as a condition for negotiations, Tehran has steadfastly refused to do so.