LONDON—Major powers have agreed to make a new offer of incentives to Iran to halt its sensitive nuclear work, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on Friday.
"I am glad to say that we have got agreement on an offer that will be made to the government of Iran," Miliband said in a televised statement, saying the details of the offer would not be made public.
The announcement came after the five permanent U.N. Security Council members and Germany met to discuss their long-stymied effort to persuade Iran to suspend uranium enrichment, a process that can produce fuel for nuclear power plants or for atomic bombs.
The United States and some of its allies suspect Iran of using its civil nuclear programme as a cover to develop atomic bombs. Iran denies this, saying its programme is to generate electricity so it can export more of its oil and gas.
Tehran has so far spurned a June 2006 offer of incentives from the six and has brushed off three U.N. Security Council resolutions that imposed sanctions for its failure to halt the nuclear work.
The benefits offered to Iran if it suspended uranium enrichment and negotiated with the major powers included civil nuclear cooperation and wider trade in civil aircraft, energy, high technology and agriculture.
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