Iran expects 'positive' response on nuclear proposal

In response to an IAEA-brokered draft proposal to enrich uranium for the Tehran reactor, Iran says it prefers to buy the fuel from an international seller.

A senior member of the Iranian negotiating team called on the governments of Russia, France and the United States to respond positively to its recently-proposed deal involving the purchase of nuclear fuel.

He said Western powers should avoid past mistakes and work towards collaborative "trust-building efforts."

This comes shortly after the three western powers accepted an IAEA draft proposal to send most of Tehran's uranium abroad for further enrichment.

Under the proposal, Iran would export low-enriched uranium to Russia for further refinement, then onto France for fabrication into fuel assemblies that can be used in the Tehran research reactor.

The Tehran research reactor, which supplies medical isotopes for treating cancer to more than 200 hospitals in Iran, requires uranium enriched up to 20 percent.

Iran says it prefers to buy nuclear fuel for the research reactor under the supervision of the UN nuclear watchdog rather than ship uranium abroad.

An Iranian diplomat based in Vienna said Friday that Tehran "is the buyer of nuclear fuel for the Tehran reactor and sellers should give a positive response to the buyer's proposal."

The Tehran government has repeatedly asserted that it would enrich uranium to the required level, if it cannot purchase it from abroad.

Ali-Akbar Salehi, the Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, said Thursday that the country needs to enrich uranium up to 20 percent because "more than 180 hospitals use radiopharmaceuticals daily."