West Should Drop Sanctions Prior to N. Fuel Exchange with Tehran

 

TEHRAN (FNA)- Secretary of Iran's Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaei stressed on Sunday that the western world should waive sanctions against the Islamic Republic to receive Iran's positive response to its proposal for the exchange of nuclear fuel with Tehran.

"I think suspension of sanctions against Iran would be a proper action by the westerners to reciprocate Iran's (previously adopted) confidence-building measures," Rezaei said about a UN brokered proposal for nuclear fuel exchange with Iran to supply 20% enriched uranium to a research reactor in Tehran.

"If we cannot receive such a concession from them, this confidence-building measure of ours will remain unanswered similar to the past that our confidence-building steps, such as sincere cooperation and voluntary implementation of the additional protocol, were not reciprocated (by the West). This way, we will practically be a loser," Rezaei went on saying.

Iran's nuclear negotiations entered a new phase in October when International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Chief Mohammad ElBaradei proposed that Iran send 75 percent of its uranium which has been enriched to the degree of 3.5 percent - totaling 1200 kgs - first to Russia and then to France to get the 20-percent enriched uranium it needs for medical purposes.

Later, Iran declined to accept France as a partner in exchange of nuclear fuel, saying that it did not trust Paris for its insincere implementation of earlier undertakings and promises.

Rezaei, who formerly served as the commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), further noted that the West is trying to hide its political objectives behind the technical issues included in the proposal for supplying nuclear fuel for the Tehran reactor.

"In order to escape West's trap we should separate the two issues," Rezaei underlined, cautioning that exchange of nuclear fuel could be both beneficial and harmful to Iran at the same time.