Iran to Keep "Nuclear Freeze"

European foreign ministers said Wednesday they had averted a crisis with Iran over its nuclear program, winning a tentative pledge from the Islamic republic to continue a freeze on sensitive work pending the resumption of negotiations this summer.
The agreement, reached in talks, deferred immediate referral of the issue to the U.N. Security Council. The referral would have escalated pressure on Iran dramatically. Iran's pledge also allowed for a respite in efforts to reach a final, permanent deal under which Iran would get economic and diplomatic benefits in return for addressing Western concerns that its nuclear program is a cover for weapons development.