European Union foreign relations chief Javier Solana (C) arrives at the Tehran Mehrabad airport on Monday, 05 June 2006. Solana is in Tehran to meet with Iranian Chief Nuclear Negotiator Ali Larijani and Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki and deliver the latest international proposal on the country‘s controversial nuclear programme. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
Solana will meet Tuesday with Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki and chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani to deliver the proposal, which includes incentives as well as possible sanctions if Iran chooses not to comply.
Solana said that the new proposal could enable a new phase of relations between Iran and the EU based on mutual respect and trust.
But Mottaki warned earlier Monday that Iran was prepared to use oil as a weapon if the confrontation escalated, while charging the West with politicising the issue and urging Western nations to consider Iran's standpoint.
'We have two options - one is cooperation, the other is confrontation,' Mottaki said. 'Considering the United States' adventurism, the trend could rather go towards the second option. If so, Iran would use all its potentials for defending its rights.
'It is quite natural that if any problems were caused to the security of Iranian energy, then Iran would not be the only side to be harmed,' Mottaki added.
Last Thursday in Vienna the major countries involved in trying to resolve the dispute with Iran over its nuclear activities - Britain, the US, China, Russia, Germany and France - agreed to a proposal aimed at persuading Iran to comply with international demands to halt uranium enrichment.
The two-part package includes a set of incentives to encourage Iran to comply, but also penalties that can be applied to Iran by the UN Security Council if it does not cooperate.
Solana will merely convey the latest proposal and not hold any negotiations with Iranian officials, the Iranian news agency ISNA reported Monday.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Mottaki have said that Tehran would 'thoroughly' evaluate the new nuclear proposal and make no prejudgment.
But both officials have also indicated that any proposal containing an ultimatum to Iran for suspending the enrichment process would not be acceptable.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan telephoned Ahmadinejad last Friday urging him 'to consider fully' the new package of incentives on offer, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in New York Monday.
Ahmadinejad has several times said that the only rational incentive would be implementation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) without any discrimination.
All NPT signatories have the right to pursue civil nuclear programmes and get assistance from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Iran, however, is suspected by the Western community of pursuing a secret nuclear programme to build atomic bombs. Tehran has regularly rejected these charges.
© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
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.