Iran’s foreign minister said Saturday that his country was willing to exchange most of its uranium for processed nuclear fuel from abroad … as the United Nations has proposed … but only according to a timetable that Western powers appear to have already rejected.
Manouchehr Mottaki said Iran would agree to hand over 400 kilograms, or 882 pounds, of uranium initially … about a third of the amount proposed in a draft agreement reached under United Nations auspices in October … in exchange for an equivalent amount of enriched material to fuel a medical research reactor, according to Iranian news agencies. The remainder of the material would be traded over “several years.”
The US has dismissed Iran’s offer to exchange nuclear fuel, saying it was inconsistent with a deal that would allow Iran to avoid further sanctions.
“Iran’s proposal does not appear to be consistent with the fair and balanced draft agreement proposed by the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA], the UN nuclear watchdog, a US official said on Saturday.
Source: NYT, Al Jazeera
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