Iran said yesterday it expected a swift response from world powers on an accord to ship much of its low enriched uranium to Turkey, as UN Security Council member China backed the swap deal.
The accord signed with Turkey and Brazil has “checkmated” US efforts to slap new sanctions on Tehran over its controversial atomic program, an Iranian government-owned newspaper said.
Iran will notify the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of the accord “in writing, through the usual channels, within a week,” foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said.
“We expect members of the Vienna group [the US, France, Russia and the IAEA] to quickly announce their readiness” to implement the fuel swap, he told reporters.
The IAEA said it had received the text of the joint declaration by Iran, Brazil and Turkey but was now expecting Tehran to notify it directly of what commitments it had undertaken.
The Vienna Group made an offer last October to ship most of Iran’s low enriched uranium out of the country in return for higher grade reactor fuel to be supplied by Russia and France.
Iran stalled on the deal, insisting it wanted a simultaneous swap on its own soil, a proposal rejected by world powers.
Monday’s accord signed in Tehran commits Iran to deposit 1,200kg of low enriched uranium in Turkey in return for fuel for a Tehran research reactor.
Tehran, already under three sets of UN sanctions over its defiant nuclear drive, has touted the agreement as a goodwill gesture which paves the way for a resumption of talks with world powers.
Despite skepticism in the West, especially the US and Europe, China came out in support of the deal.
“We attach importance to and support this agreement,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu (馬朝旭), whose country holds veto power in the Security Council. “We hope this will help promote the peaceful settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue.”
Washington said the Tehran accord would not halt or slow its drive for toughened sanctions, although US officials were still evaluating the accord and planned to consult with international partners including Brazil and Turkey.
It remained concerned over the fact that Tehran has vowed to continue enriching uranium to the stepped-up level of 20 percent.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev welcomed the pact but said further talks were needed, even as temporary Security Council members Brazil and Turkey said it removed the grounds for sanctions.
Monday’s signing came after three-way talks in Tehran between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Ahmadinejad appeared to be in favor of last year’s UN-brokered deal but faced fierce criticism from hardliners and Iran’s conservative camp over any handover of the uranium stockpile.
The new accord, however, has sparked little criticism in Iran.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was consulting with senior members of his cabinet yesterday to formulate Israel’s response to Iran’s nuclear deals with Turkey and Brazil, officials said.
Late on Monday, Netanyahu ordered his ministers not to discuss the deal until Israel issues a formal response, his office said.
Earlier, a senior Israeli official accused Iran of having “manipulated” Turkey and Brazil, which brokered the deal.
“The Iranians have already pulled off such a trick in the past — by pretending to accept such a procedure to lower tensions and reduce the risk of harsher international sanctions, then refusing to follow through,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
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