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US May Soften on Iran Civil Nuke Program
By Harry Kimball
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Posted Apr 3, 09 2:54 PM CDT
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(Newser)
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In negotiations with Iran, the Obama administration may be willing to accept less than a complete halt of uranium enrichment activities for civil use, the Financial Times reports. Insiders say an internal review of the administration’s policies now under way will take into account the apparently immovable stance of the Iranian regime. The “zero enrichment solution, though still favored, simply is unfeasible,” a watcher said.
“The US may still have zero as its opening position,” he continued, “while recognizing it may not be where things stand at the end.” A former State Department official agreed that the US would hold its current no-enrichment position, which the UN shares. “Obviously, no country wants to flag its fallback positions in advance.” Even President Obama seems to be hinting at a compromise: “Don’t develop a nuclear weapon,” he told Iran today, without mentioning the civil program.