Three major European powers -- Britain, France and Germany -- were considering to supply Iran with a light-water nuclear reactor to persuade Tehran to give up its controversial nuclear program, said diplomats on Tuesday in Vienna.

The Austria Press Agency, quoting anonymous diplomats in Vienna, said that the European Union (EU) wanted to persuade Iran to purchase a modern light-water nuclear reactor, and would be prepared to offer it along with relevant technical support.

The EU wants to convince Tehran to abandon its uranium enrichment activities, and curb its heavy-water nuclear reactor program.

It is more difficult to generate plutonium from a light-water nuclear reactor, which could be used to produce nuclear weapons.

The EU said on Monday in Brussels that it was prepared to offer a cooperation deal, in order to find a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear issue. The light-water reactor for Iran is part of the deal.

The offer, with the precondition that Iran must abandon uranium enrichment activities in its own territory, will support Iran's development of a sustainable civilian nuclear program.

Iran has rejected any deal which requests it to suspend its nuclear program.

"The West must recognize our right for peaceful nuclear activities, if they want to solve Iran's nuclear issue," Hamid Reza Asefi, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, said on Tuesday.

On May 19, five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany will hold talks on the Iran nuclear issue in London, and the EU is expected to table the new package at that meeting.

Source: Xinhua