Bushehr nuclear power plant (Archives)
Photo: AP
Iran to demand changes to nuclear fuel deal
Tehran state television says Islamic Republic likely to accept West's atom deal, subject to changes
Iran will accept the framework of a UN-drafted nuclear fuel deal, but will also demand changes to it, al Alam state television reported on Tuesday.
The Arabic-language satellite television station, citing an unnamed official, said Iran would present its response to the proposed agreement within 48 hours.
It did not give details on what kind of changes Tehran would seek to the draft agreement hammered out by U.N. nuclear agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei in consultations with Iran, Russia, France and the United States in Vienna last week.
The draft pact calls for Iran to transfer some 80 percent of its known 1.5 tons of low-enriched uranium (LEU) to Russia for further enrichment by the end of this year, then to France for conversion into fuel plates.
These would be returned to Tehran to fuel a research reactor that produces radio-isotopes for cancer treatment.
On Monday, a senior Iranian lawmaker said the Islamic state should send its LEU abroad in several phases for further processing.
