Document outlines proposed assistance to Iran

The United States and other nations negotiating a nuclear deal with Iran are ready to offer high-tech reactors and other state-of-the-art equipment if Teheran agrees to crimp programs that can make atomic arms, according to a confidential document obtained on Tuesday by The Associated Press.

The draft document, one of several technical appendices meant to accompany the main text of any deal, has dozens of bracketed sections of text where disagreements remain. Technical cooperation is among the least controversial issues at the talks, and the number of disagreements suggest the sides have a ways to go not only on that topic but also more contentious disputes.

With a Tuesday deadline looming for a deal, Iran's top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Tuesday rejected a long-term freeze on nuclear research and supported banning international inspectors from accessing military sites. Khamenei, in comments broadcast on Iranian state television, also said Iran will sign a final deal only if all economic sanctions are first lifted, a sign the Islamic republic may be toughening its stance ahead of the deadline.