Obama says Iran can have civilian nuclear program

WASHINGTON - In a message to Iran's supreme leader, US President Barack Obama said that Tehran can have a civilian nuclear program if it never pursues a nuclear weapon, the Washington Post said on Friday.

"President Obama has signaled Iran that the United States would accept an Iranian civilian nuclear program if Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei can back up his recent public claim that his nation 'will never pursue nuclear weapons'," said the report.

The newspaper said that the verbal message was sent to Khamenei via Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who visited Tehran last week.

"A few days before traveling to Iran, Erdogan had held a two-hour meeting with Obama in Seoul, in which they discussed what Erdogan would tell the ayatollah about the nuclear issue and Syria," the report said.

During the meeting, Obama told Erdogan that the Iranians should realize that time is running out for a peaceful resolution that Tehran should take advantage of the current window for negotiations, according to the report.

But Obama did not specify whether Iran would be allowed to enrich uranium domestically and this delicate issue evidently would be left for the upcoming talks between Iran and the six world powers, said the report.

The report added that Erdogan is believed to have conveyed Obama's message to Khamenei when they met in Iran.

It was previously reported that the six world powers and Iran will meet in Turkey's Istanbul on April 13 and 14 for talks over Tehran's disputed nuclear program.

But Iran recently proposed that Baghdad should also be considered as the venue for the talks. So far, the issue has not been finalized yet.