Iran, 6 powers resume nuclear talks

Nuclear negotiations between Iran and six world powers continued Monday, with the West reiterating concerns that the Islamic republic's activities could lead to making atomic bombs.

But there was hope the Iranian delegation was at least open to constructive talks as the group broke for lunch at the Geneva meeting. Officials from the Western side — U.S. Russia, Britain, France, Germany and the European Union — said the Iranian delegation reacted calmly when they demanded Tehran stop enriching uranium.

Previously, Iran had said it would refuse to discuss the topic of enrichment.

Enriched uranium — if refined to a high enough degree — can produce fuel for reactors. It can also be compressed to make the explosive core for nuclear weapons.

Iran has insisted its nuclear program is only for civilian purposes.

Iran's defiance in refusing to freeze its nuclear program was highlighted Sunday, when nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi said the country has gained self-sufficiency over the entire nuclear fuel cycle — from extracting uranium ore to enriching it and producing nuclear fuel.

EU condemns attacks on Iranian scientists

Bilateral meetings were scheduled following lunch in Geneva during the first such talks in a year.

One sit-down could include a one-on-one between chief Iranian negotiator Saeed Jalili and U.S. Undersecretary of State William Burns, who heads the U.S. delegation, officials told The Associated Press.

Jalili had said the assassination last week of a leading Iranian nuclear scientist and the wounding of another has cast a gloom over the talks.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton "thoroughly condemned" the attacks, which Tehran had earlier blamed on Israel and the West.

The UN Security Council has imposed several rounds of sanctions against Iran over its refusal to curtail its nuclear program.