Iran yesterday agreed with mediators Brazil and Turkey it would send some of its uranium abroad, abruptly ending its refusal to countenance such a deal just as the UN Security Council readied tougher sanctions.
It was not immediately clear whether Iran’s apparent concessions, following months of deadlock over a UN-drafted fuel swap plan, would satisfy major powers which have been discussing a new round of punitive UN measures.
Analysts say the agreement will allow Tehran to avert new tougher UN sanctions, split the major powers and help the leadership reassert its authority after months of unrest and opposition that followed the presidential election last June.
A European Commission spokesman said the agreement between leaders of Iran, Turkey and Brazil could be a step in the right direction, but details needed to be seen. Moscow and Berlin also said they wanted more information before commenting.
The UN nuclear agency watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Organization (IAEA), declined immediate comment. Diplomats in Vienna said it did not appear the IAEA had been informed about the details of the agreement announced in the Iranian capital.
Iran said it had agreed to transfer 1,200kg of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey within a month in return for higher-enriched nuclear fuel for a medical research reactor.
No more than one year later, Iran will get 120kg of 20 percent enriched uranium under an arrangement involving the IAEA, as well as the US, France and Russia.
Iran, which says its atomic program is purely for peaceful purposes and not to make bombs as the West suspects, had earlier insisted any such exchange must take place simultaneously and on its territory. A mediation offer by Turkey and Brazil, both non-permanent Security Council members, had been seen as the last chance to resolve the dispute.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on six world powers to start new negotiations with his country.
“They should welcome the major event that took place in Tehran and distance themselves from the atmosphere of pressure and sanctions to create an opportunity for interaction and cooperation with Iran,” Ahmadinejad said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu hailed the deal as a “historic turning point” and said there was no need for the world to consider any further punitive measures against Iran.
“I think that declaration, in our view, eliminates whatever doubts for sanctions against Iran. There is no ground to keep trying for new sanctions ... The swap agreement should be the getaway for broader discussions,” Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim told reporters.
There was no immediate comment from Washington, which has been leading a Western push to impose extra sanctions on Iran.
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