DUBAI/VIENNA — Iran is “busy redesigning” a planned research reactor to sharply cut its potential output of plutonium — a possible nuclear bomb fuel, a senior Iranian official said in comments that seemed to address a thorny issue in negotiations with big powers. The future of the Arak plant is among several sticking points that Iran and six world powers need to resolve if they are to reach a deal by late July on limiting the country's disputed nuclear program in exchange for an end to sanctions. The main stumbling block is the permissible scope of uranium enrichment in Iran. The lack of progress in bridging negotiating gaps has left the self-imposed July 20 deadline for a long-term settlement looking increasingly unrealistic, and Iran has said a six-month extension of the talks may be necessary. After the latest round of talks in Vienna in May, a diplomat from one of the powers said Iran had appeared to row back on its previous openness to address Western fears about the nuclear weapons potential of Arak. Iran has since dismissed as “ridiculous” one mooted solution to such worries. – Reuters
