Almaty (Kazakhstan) - World powers seeking to resolve a decade-long dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme have resumed talks with Iranian officials in the Kazakh city of Almaty.
Iran has again strongly defended its controversial nuclear programme and
Chief negotiator Saeed Jalili said the global community must accept Tehran's right to enrich uranium.
International powers suspect Iran ofseeking to develop nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies.
Iran insists its purposes are purely civilian, asserting it needs enriched uranium to make medical isotopes.
Iran will reiterate its right to enrich uranium under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), an interpretation the West does not subscribe to. But Iranian officials indicate they may be willing to discuss its level of enrichment as long as demands and incentives are "balanced".
It is seeking more sanctions relief than the limited steps in the revised proposal offered by global powers in February.
Western sources say they want to see confidence-building measures from Iran to bolster its claim that its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful.
The last round of talks in Almaty marked modest progress, although Western descriptions of "useful" contrasted with Iran's talk of a "possible turning point".
"We think our talks... can go forward with one word. That is the acceptance of the rights of Iran, particularly the right to enrichment," Mr Jalili said in the city of Almaty - the venue of the talks with Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany (P5+1).
This is the second such meeting this year, the six powers - the so-called P5+1, the five permanent UN Security Council members and Germany - hope Iran will accept their offer of modest relief from economic sanctions in return for curbs in its most sensitive nuclear work.
For years, Iran has refused to meet international demands for it to stop enriching uranium, arguing it does so only for peaceful purposes such as medical research and generation of energy.
Western governments suspect Iran’s nuclear aims will give Tehran the capability to build the atom bomb.
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator pronounced the last get-together at the same venue in February "positive" but said the global powers had to quickly agree to its most important demand in the decade-old dispute.
Ban Ki-moon, UN secretary-general, said it would be on the Iranian side to prove that its "nuclear development programme is for peaceful purposes".
"I sincerely hope that through this P5+1 negotiation there will be very meaningful progress," he said in Madrid.
The world powers are hoping for an answer from Iran on a package of proposals aimed at defusing the standoff, offering an easing of punishing economic sanctions if it makes concessions on its enrichment.
The P5+1 is particularly concerned about Iran's enrichment to levels of up to 20 per cent and wants it to shut the Fordo fortified bunker where the sensitive activity is conducted.
The group also wants Iran to ship out its existing stockpile of 20 per cent enriched material.
In return, Iran has reportedly been offered the right to deal in some precious metals and perform small financial transactions now prohibited by international sanctions.
Iran, which denies it is developing the atomic bomb and argues that it needs its nuclear programme for peaceful medical and energy needs, has already described this approach as unbalanced.
Several rounds of sanctions have squeezed Iran's economy, with oil revenue slashed, the currency nose-diving in value and unemployment growing.
But significant differences reportedly remain on how far both sides are willing to go to reach a mutually accepted compromise.
