- Iran and the six countries agree to extend talks by a day
- Iran's top negotiator and the EU foreign policy chief met behind closed doors
- Iran refused a call to end a type of uranium enrichment
- The six nations refused to lift sanctions
Baghdad (CNN) -- A stalemate in the latest round of nuclear negotiations with Iran pushed talks into an additional day, with diplomats from Tehran and six world powers agreeing to meet again Thursday.
Tight-lipped diplomats on both sides offered little insight as to why negotiations were extended, with Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, and European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton meeting behind closed doors for the second time in as many days.
It was unclear whether progress was made during the 30 minute meeting in Baghdad between the two after talks a day earlier appeared to yield little result with each side submitting dueling proposals.
Iran rejected calls during talks to stop the high-enrichment of uranium that can be used for weapons, while the international powers refused Tehran's demand for an immediate end to sanctions crippling its economy.
There is hope that the extended talks are, at the least, signaling a change in the tone of negotiations that have been marred by threats and allegations of foot-dragging and unreasonable demands.
"We're not talking final deals, but solid progress," a Western official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks, said that the conclusion of Wednesday's meetings.
Western powers fear that Iran may be trying to build nuclear weapons, despite its insistence that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. The West has been using sanctions and diplomacy to try to stop Iran from producing nuclear arms.
Tehran threatened this year to close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping lane, if sanctions were imposed on its exports of crude oil. Israel, which is believed to have its own nuclear arsenal, has said it may attack Iran to try to stop Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
The talks come at a critical time for Iran. The country's economy has been crippled by sanctions imposed by the United Nations, the United States and the European Union. Because 80% of Iran's foreign revenues are derived from oil exports, an embargo by the EU set to go into effect in July will put further pressure on its economy.
On Wednesday, the so-called P5+1, the United States, France, Britain, Russia, China and Germany -- exchanged proposals with Iran.
The six countries made Iran an offer if it stopped processing medium-enriched uranium, which can be used to make nuclear weapons, EU officials said.
The proposal also called for Tehran to prove its nuclear program is being used for peaceful purposes as it claims, and comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions, according to a Western official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions.
Asked whether relief from the tough Western sanctions imposed on Iran will be on the table, the same Western official said: "There is no expectation it will happen as a result of this meeting. Iran would need to take significant concrete action first," the official said.
Iran's counter proposal included five areas of nuclear and non-nuclear cooperation, state-run IRNA reported late Wednesday.
A British Foreign Office spokesman said world powers are offering support for Iranian economic and agricultural development and the country's civilian nuclear program in exchange for cooperation.
Another idea on the table is an updated version of an earlier offer to swap enriched uranium for nuclear fuel, European Union officials said. There had been a proposal to swap most of Iran's low-enriched uranium for fuel rods to power a medical research reactor in Tehran.
The proposals address the world community's "concerns about the nature of their nuclear program," said Michael Mann, a spokesman for Ashton.
"Obviously, you have various U.N. Security Council resolutions and reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that have found suspicions that they may be developing a military program, so our proposals on the table address those concerns," Mann said. "We hope that they will come back and react positively to those proposals that we've made and that we can really talk about the substance and get things moving."
Mann said 20% uranium enrichment "is one of the issues that's addressed" in proposals Ashton put on the table.
Uranium enriched at 20% is typically used for hospital isotopes and research reactors, but is also seen as a shortcut toward the 90% enrichment required to build nuclear weapons.
On Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak urged other countries to intensify the pressure on Iran.
"Without a tightening of the sanctions, Iran will not stop nuclear program development," he said.
CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom in Baghdad, Matthew Chance in London and Reza Sayah in Islamabad contributed to this report.
