Iran in new talks on nuclear fuel swap

Iran plans to hold talks with all members of the United Nations Security Council over a nuclear fuel swap deal, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has said.

“We plan to hold direct talks on nuclear swap with 14 member states of the UN Security Council and indirect talks with the 15th member [the United States],” Mottaki told reporters in a Sunday press conference in Tehran.

He added that the talks would be conducted by Iranian missions in relevant countries.

According to a US-proposed deal, backed by the UN nuclear watchdog, Iran had to send most of its low-enriched uranium abroad for further processing and conversion into fuel rods for the Tehran research reactor, which produces medical isotopes.

Iran agreed to the IAEA-backed proposal but said it needed guarantees that the other side would deliver the fuel in a timely manner — a demand the West has so far ignored.

The US and its allies accuse Iran of seeking nuclear weapons.

Iran denies the allegations and insists it has the right to pursue peaceful nuclear technology as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).