Iran said on Tuesday that world powers involved in UN backed talks on Tehran's controversial nuclear programme were showing "traces of realism" after they failed to decide on new sanctions.

"Speaking of sanctions is repetitive and it is not constructive," foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told reporters.
 

"Some Western countries [...] should correct their approach and be realistic about our [nuclear] rights. And we feel there are traces of realism to be seen," he added.
 

Mehmanparast was echoing comments on Monday by the Islamic republic’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki.
 

"We are ready to help with the realistic approach and at the same time we will wait for public and back stage developments on Iran's nuclear case," Mottaki told reporters.

No agreement
World powers made up of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany met in New York on Saturday but failed to reach an agreement about new sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear defiance.
 

The six are concerned about Tehran's rejection of a UN brokered deal under which most of Iran's low enriched uranium (LEU) stockpile would be shipped abroad to be further enriched into reactor fuel.
 

Iran has come up with its own counter-proposal of a staged and simultaneous swap of LEU with nuclear reactor fuel. This has been largely rejected by world powers, insisting Tehran accept the International Atomic Energy Agency offer.
 

The New York meeting brought together senior officials from Britain, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.
 

But China, signalling its reluctance to back tougher sanctions pushed by the West, sent a lower level diplomat, winning praise from Tehran.
 

Washington and its Western allies fear that Iran is secretly developing fissile material for nuclear weapons under the cover of its uranium enrichment programme.
 

Tehran, which is already under three sets of sanctions for refusing to suspend enrichment, vehemently denies the charge.
 

Source: AFP