Iran Agrees to Cooperate with the IAEA, Will allow Uranium to be Enriched Abroad

[Clio the Leo]

So anyway, about that Nobel Peace Prize....

Iran leader welcomes nuclear plan

An Iranian deal with the UN nuclear watchdog would ease tension
The president of Iran says his country is ready to co-operate with a proposal to enrich nuclear fuel abroad to ease tensions over its nuclear programme.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad described the International Atomic Energy Agency proposal as a move from "confrontation to cooperation" by western powers.

Iran insists it is entitled to enrich uranium for fuel but the US and allies accuse it of seeking nuclear weapons.

Iran was reportedly intending to give an answer to the IAEA in Vienna today.

"We welcome fuel exchange, nuclear cooperation, building of power plants and reactors and we are ready to cooperate," Mr Ahmadinejad said in a televised speech in the city of Mashhad quoted by AFP news agency.

He also reiterated that Iran would not retreat on its rights for peaceful nuclear energy, adding that the provision of enriched fuel by the Western powers for research in Iran would be a chance to test the "honesty" of Iran's critics.

Correspondent in Tehran say the government is expected to accept the framework of the IAEA deal, but also demand changes to it.

Earlier in Vienna, a delegation of the agency's inspectors returned after visiting Iran's recently-revealed second uranium enrichment plant at Fordo.

"We had a good trip," said delegation head Herman Nackaerts. He did not answer specific questions about any of the data that was gathered.

The IAEA has proposed exporting most of Iran's enriched uranium to Russia and France, where it would be converted into fuel before being returned to Iran.

The plan was agreed by the US, Russia and France, after talks in Vienna, but Iran missed a deadline on Friday to respond.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8331267.stm

For those who have not been keeping up with this, in late September the President, along with PM Brown of the UK of President Sarkozy of France, accused Iran of hiding a uranium enrichment facility from UN inspectors. Uranium has many uses. You can use it in nuclear power plants, for medical purposes, OR to build nuclear weapons. It was Iran's claim that they were using this plant for the first two reasons and not the last. The UN said a collective, "yeah, right." This agreement allows them to continue to use uranium enriched by foreign countries thus alleviating them of the need for plant. ;)

[Junkdrawer]

1. Opposite spin this side of the pond: "Iran balks at nuke deal requirement"....

Report: Iran proposes changes to nuclear deal

Western diplomat says Tehran wants to enrich uranium domestically

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran has given an initial response to a plan that calls for Tehran to ship most of its enriched uranium abroad, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Thursday. An official familiar with Iran's response said Tehran was unwilling to accept the deal, which would delay Tehran's ability to make a nuclear weapon.

The U.S. and allied countries were seeking Iranian agreement to ship out 70 percent of its low-enriched uranium to Russia in one shipment for further enrichment and conversion into fuel for a Tehran research reactor.

Sending that amount in one batch would not leave Tehran with enough material to make weapons-grade uranium should it decide to make a warhead. Experts say Iran would need at least a year to produce enough to make up for the exported material, giving the international community a window in its efforts to persuade the Islamic Republic to freeze its enrichment program.



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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33528916/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa

[ind_thinker2]

2. Those Naysayers that Obama does not deserve Nobel, here is the proof