David Cameron stoked Tory anger last night after he struck an eleventh-hour deal with Labour to save his divisive gay marriage plans. Even with Labour support the Government suffered a bruising evening as two Cabinet members and nine junior ministers led dozens of Tories to vote against the leadership. Rebel efforts to secure opt-outs for registrars opposed to gay marriage and extra protection for churches were defeated with the aid of Labour and Lib Dem MPs. But the sheer scale of Tory opposition to the Prime Minister, on a free vote, was a sign of how mutinous the party has become. More than 100 Conservative MPs, led by Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, and Owen Paterson, the Environment Secretary, lined up against Mr Cameron on the first amendment of the evening. But on the night’s key vote, a “wrecking amendment” that would extend civil partnerships to heterosexual couples, the Prime Minister was forced to accept Labour demands for a swift review in order to see off the threat. Senior Conservatives were infuriated by what they branded “yet another instance of utter incompetence” by the party leadership. Tim Loughton, the former Tory education minister who tabled the civil partnerships amendment, accused Mr Cameron of orchestrating a “stitch-up” between the two rival front benches. Last night’s vote continued a rocky period for the Prime Minister and his party after the record Commons split over an
The European Union's head diplomat Javier Solana has offered Iran a number of benefits to persuade the oil-rich state to drop some of its rights under Article IV.1 of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, i.e. stop an uranium enrichment program.

During the two hour meeting in the Iranian capital Solana is thought to have offered help to build Iran's nuclear generators and supply fuel for the northern Persian Gulf state's energy needs.

Azadi Square is currently the symbol of Tehran.

This main offer may have been accompanied by a number of sweeteners such as the offer of European Airbus airplanes and United States relaxation of the trade of Boeing aircraft parts with Iran.
 
The proposal the European emissary carried had previously been seen by Security Council powers United States, China, Britain, Russia, France and also Germany. Were Iran to reject the Solana offer the United Nations Security Council sanctions could be used to stop Iran's nuclear program.

"Larijani said Iran will study the package, clause by clause, and respond," said an unnamed official who knows Ali Larjani, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator.

However there were also some "ambiguities" to resolve, said Larjani himself.

Iran has noted several times that as party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the country can enrich uranium for peaceful needs, such as for the production of electricity. 

But a move to enrich uranium on a larger-scale, such as a plan for 3,000 centrifuges by the end of 2006, might lead American officials to say Iran could have the potential to get a nuclear weapon within ten years.

While Iran's head of state, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently warned about the disruption of oil supplies if Iran was attacked, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is said to be considering the newest package on the table.

'We have two options - one is cooperation, the other is confrontation,' said the Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki.