Iran not to exchange enriched uranium for fuel: MP

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(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-11-07 19:46

TEHRAN: A senior member of Iranian parliament said Saturday that Iran will not exchange its own enriched uranium for fuel to supply a research reactor in Tehran, local ISNA news agency reported.

"Giving the 3.5 percent enriched uranium in order to receive 20 percent enriched fuel for Tehran's research reactor whether gradually or all at once is called off," Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of the Parliament's national security and foreign policy commission, was quoted as saying.

He insisted that Iran is not to give any part of its 1,200 kilograms of low-level enriched uranium to receive fuel for the reactor in Tehran.

Boroujerdi also noted that Iran and some fuel supplier countries must find a new way to provide the fuel, saying presently Iran's permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali Soltanieh "is in talks to find an approach for the issue."

Commenting on remarks by some Western officials that Iran must respond to the IAEA-brokered draft deal regarding purchase of fuel in two days, Boroujerdi said, "the West cannot set a deadline and we are not committed to their remarks."

The draft agreement, presented by IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei, calls for shipping most of Iran's existing low-grade enriched uranium to Russia and France, where it would be processed into fuel rods with a purity of 20 percent.

The United States, Russia and France have approved the draft deal, but Iran said it wanted amendments and more talks on the issue.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Friday that Iran is preparing to give the IAEA more details of its response to proposals from the major powers for the supply of nuclear fuel, local daily Tehran Times reported Saturday.

"We have three options -- enrich the fuel ourselves, buy it directly or exchange our uranium for fuel, they have to choose from these options," Mottaki was quoted as saying.

"Given the need of Iran to have the fuel, my view is that they will accept another round of discussions," he added.