A second day of talks is under way in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Saturday as delegates from the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany and Iran continued efforts to reach a compromise on Tehran's controversial nuclear programs.
The delegates are discussing proposals to allow Iran to trade some products now under international sanctions, if it agrees to close a nuclear facility and get rid of its stockpile of enriched uranium.
U.S. State Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Friday that during the opening day of talks failed to deliver "a clear and concrete response" to the offer made by the so-called P5+1 group of nations during the last nuclear negotiations in February.
Also Friday, a spokesman for European Union policy chief Catherine Ashton urged Iran to take a "confidence-building step" and "reassure the international community that it is not interested in and is not producing a military nuclear program."
The two-day discussions include Russia, China, the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Iran.
Ahead of the talks, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, demanded Thursday that world powers recognize an Iranian right to enrich uranium.
The United States and its allies accuse Iran of amassing highly-enriched uranium as part of a covert drive to make nuclear bombs. Tehran insists its nuclear program is peaceful.
A senior U.S. official reiterated this week that President Barack Obama prefers diplomacy, but is leaving "all options" on the table to deal with the situation.
The delegates are discussing proposals to allow Iran to trade some products now under international sanctions, if it agrees to close a nuclear facility and get rid of its stockpile of enriched uranium.
U.S. State Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Friday that during the opening day of talks failed to deliver "a clear and concrete response" to the offer made by the so-called P5+1 group of nations during the last nuclear negotiations in February.
Also Friday, a spokesman for European Union policy chief Catherine Ashton urged Iran to take a "confidence-building step" and "reassure the international community that it is not interested in and is not producing a military nuclear program."
The two-day discussions include Russia, China, the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Iran.
Ahead of the talks, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, demanded Thursday that world powers recognize an Iranian right to enrich uranium.
The United States and its allies accuse Iran of amassing highly-enriched uranium as part of a covert drive to make nuclear bombs. Tehran insists its nuclear program is peaceful.
A senior U.S. official reiterated this week that President Barack Obama prefers diplomacy, but is leaving "all options" on the table to deal with the situation.