Dec. 13, 09 (Hamsayeh.Net) - The US government rejected Iran’s latest nuclear fuel exchange proposal citing inconsistency with earlier agreements that could stop further sanctions against Tehran.

 

‘Iran's proposal does not appear to be consistent with the fair and balanced draft agreement proposed by the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA], the UN nuclear watchdog,’ a US official said on Saturday.

 

Yesterday in Manama, Bahrain, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki repeated Iran’s previous offer of exchanging certain amounts of LEU on Iran’s Kish Island in the Persian Gulf. Such an offer was brought as a first step confidence building measure for future deals.

 

Iran has already ruled out any exchange of nuclear materials outside the country’s territory but offered step by step exchanges within its borders.

 

A US official, who declined to be named, urged Iran to ship 1,200 kg of its low enriched uranium to Russia in one package. He labeled this offer as an opportunity that Iran must take advantage of.

 

The US and some other Western countries say they are worried if Iran possessed large quantities of LEU’s it could move in direction of building nuclear bombs. Iran denies such a charge and says the country’s nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes.

 

 MSN - -  - Wikipedia - Hamsayeh.Net