Iran and the U.S. are holding talks on phased nuclear deal

Officials from the U.S. and Iran are discussing a nuclear deal that would eventually allow Iran to resume activities that could be used to create nuclear weapons.

The U.S. and Iran are meeting Monday for the third day of talks about Iran's nuclear program, ahead of an end-of-March agreement deadline. Western officials told The Associated Press that the talks have created "long-awaited progress" toward reaching a nuclear deal.

Originally, the U.S. wanted restrictions on Iran's uranium enrichment program for up to 20 years, while Iran advocated for less than 10 years. But the phased deal would "reward Iran for good behavior" in the last years of an agreement by lifting the restrictions on its uranium enrichment program, according to AP.

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The U.S. has expressed concerns that Iran's uranium enrichment program could be used for creating the core of a nuclear weapon, while Iran has said it wants the uranium enrichment for energy as well as "medical and scientific purposes," not nuclear arms, AP reports.