Swiss suggest compromise on Iran's nuclear program

Iran yesterday said Switzerland had drawn up an offer to ease the standoff between Tehran and the West over the Islamic republic's controversial nuclear program.

"We still do not have the contents of what the Swiss have proposed but if these propositions guarantee the right of Iran to nuclear materials this can be examined," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said.

It was the first time such an approach by Switzerland, which represents US interests in Tehran in the absence of a US embassy, had been evoked by Iranian officials. A diplomat at the Swiss embassy declined to comment.

"We are due to officially receive this plan, perhaps our officials including [chief nuclear negotiator Ali] Larijani have already received it," Hosseini told reporters. "They must examine the details and the technical conditions but we are ready to consider any plan which guarantees our rights."

Meanwhile, the EU yesterday agreed to adopt UN sanctions to punish Tehran, but held the door open for negotiations.

"We want to maintain the door open for negotiation, but Iran knows what we want them to do," said EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, ahead of a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels.