Iran
Documents & Texts from America.gov
23 October 2009
Iran Delays Answer on Draft Enrichment Proposal
By Stephen Kaufman
Staff Writer
Washington — The United States, France and Russia have given the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) a “positive response” to a draft proposal
to supply Iran with nuclear fuel for a medical research reactor, but Iran has
asked for a few more days to consider the arrangement.
“This is a real opportunity for Iran to help address some of the real
concerns of the international community about its nuclear program, and at the
same time still provide for the humanitarian needs of the Iranian people,” State
Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters October 23.
According to news reports, the proposal involves having Iran send its low-enriched
uranium to the IAEA, which then would bring it to Russia to be enriched to
a higher grade, but not high enough for the production of weapons. The IAEA
then would transport the enriched uranium to France, which has the technology
to add the “cell elements” needed for Iran’s medical-research
reactor.
In an October 23 statement, IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei said Iran
had informed him that “it is considering the proposal in depth and in
a favorable light, but it needs time until the middle of next week to provide
a response.” ElBaradei added that he hopes Iran will respond positively “since
approval of this agreement will signal a new era of cooperation.”
Originally, ElBaradei had asked all four countries to respond by October 23.
“The international community has been waiting a long time for Iran to
address some of our real concerns about their intentions. But all along we
have said the IAEA is taking the lead on this and we hope there are no more
delays than these next few days,” Kelly said.
Concerns over Iran’s nuclear activities were heightened in September
by the disclosure that Iran had concealed its construction of a nuclear facility
near Qom that could be used to produce highly enriched uranium needed for nuclear
weapons. (See “United
States Has Known of Iranian Facility ‘for Several Years’.”)
Kelly said IAEA inspectors may be granted access to the facility on October
25. “A lot of the preparatory work has been done, so we expect it will
happen on Sunday,” he said.
The United States and its partners in the P5+1 grouping — Russia, China,
France, the United Kingdom, and Germany — are working to hold a meeting
with Iran before the end of October that would follow up on their October 1
session in Geneva in which the proposal to provide fuel for its medical-research
facility was first discussed. (See “Obama
Says Iran Talks ‘Constructive’ but Need Follow-Up Action.”)
The ultimate goal driving the engagement with Iran is “to raise the
international community’s confidence in its nuclear program,” Kelly
said. “The P5+1 is the forum for that.”
The United States views Iran’s agreement to open up the Qom facility
to IAEA inspectors and to work out a procedure for getting its low-enriched
uranium reprocessed in another country as a positive sign, Kelly said.
| 
Documents & Texts