Iran wants to enrich uranium on own soil

TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran said on Friday it would not accept
any proposal aimed at solving its nuclear standoff with the
West that did not allow it to enrich uranium on its own
territory.

“For Iran it is important to have (uranium) enrichment on
its own soil,” Ali Larijani, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator,
was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency.

He was responding to questions about reports that Russia
planned to propose a compromise plan, with tentative backing
from the European Union and Washington.

Under the proposal Iran, which insists its nuclear program
would never be used to make atomic arms, would be allowed to
“convert” uranium, a preliminary stage in the process of making
nuclear fuel.

But the later, more sensitive process of uranium enrichment
would be carried out only as a joint venture with Russia on
Russian soil.

European diplomats have said the proposal would be
acceptable to Washington, the EU and the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA).

But Larijani’s comments appeared to confirm their doubts as
to whether Iran would forego enrichment on its own soil.

Speaking to domestic journalists, Larijani said Iran had
not received a formal proposal from Russia but would study it
if it did.

“We are not opposed to enriching uranium outside our
borders for other countries if it is in line with peaceful
purposes,” the ISNA student news agency quoted him as saying.

Igor Ivanov, secretary of Russia’s Security Council, is to
visit Iran in coming days for talks over the nuclear issue.

Tehran is hoping to avoid referral to the U.N. Security
Council later this month when the IAEA board meets to discuss
its case.

(NUCLEAR-IRAN; writing by Paul Hughes, editing by Andrew
Roche. paul.hughes@reuters.com; Reuters Messaging:
paul.hughes.reuters.com@reuters.net; +98 21 8850 0085))