The foreign ministers of Iran, Turkey and Brazil are scheduled to meet on Sunday in Istanbul to discuss the implementation of the trilateral nuclear swap deal signed in May, the official IRNA news agency reported.
"The foreign ministers of Iran, Turkey and Brazil will hold a meeting in Istanbul on Sunday to discuss latest developments related to the Tehran nuclear swap declaration," IRNA quoted Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast as saying.
The Iranian, Brazilian, and Turkish foreign ministers agreed on May 17 that Iran will swap in Turkey most of its 3.5%-enriched uranium for 20%-enriched fuel for use in its Tehran scientific research reactor.
The trilateral deal did not stop the UN Security Council from passing on June 9 a resolution imposing a fourth set of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, including tougher financial controls and an expanded arms embargo.
Westerns powers suspect Iran of attempting to build nuclear weapons under the guise of civilian nuclear power generation.
Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has long opposed sanctions against the Islamic Republic, saying that the issue should be resolved through diplomatic means.
However, Moscow finally approved the sanctions after Iran failed to prove the peaceful nature of its nuclear activities.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on July 15 that Iran's nuclear program was "an issue of national pride for Iranians," which, however, was also being "actively exploited by Iranian authorities in order to achieve their own political goals."
MOSCOW, July 25 (RIA Novosti)
