TEHRAN, April 23 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's proposal for joint uranium enrichment is still on the negotiating table, an official spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry said Sunday.
"Russia's proposal is still on the table but necessary grounds need to be prepared for its implementation," Hamid Reza Asefi said.
Iran has been accused of pursuing a covert weapons program, but has denied the accusation and said it has a right to civilian nuclear research.
Iran broke a two-year moratorium on nuclear research in January for what it claimed were energy-generating purposes, arousing fears around the globe that the country could be secretly trying to create weapons-grade material. The Russian proposal to enrich uranium for Iran's nuclear power plants has been widely seen as a way to end the current standoff.
In a resolution March 28, the Security Council demanded Iran end uranium enrichment and re-open its nuclear facilities for UN inspections. It also ordered IAEA head Mohammed ElBaradei to look into Tehran's compliance with its non-proliferation commitments.
In defiance of the demands, Tehran, which insists on its right to pursue peaceful nuclear technology, announced April 11 that it had successfully produced low-enriched uranium.
The announcement, which came ahead of ElBaradei's visit to the country, added to the crisis, prompting the U.S., France, Germany, Britain, and China to hold informal talks on further steps in relation to Tehran. But their meetings in Moscow brought no new decisions.
Russia, which is helping Iran build an $800-million nuclear power plant in Bushehr, has opposed economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic, the measure being pushed for by the United States and its European allies, which fear Tehran seeks to build nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear program.
Russian nuclear agency head Sergei Kiriyenko earlier said the Russian proposal to enrich uranium in Russia would remain on the table only if Iran met the demands of the UN's nuclear watchdog.
"Iran's adherence to the demands put forward by the International Atomic Energy Agency is a necessary condition for the creation of a joint Russian-Iranian uranium enrichment venture," he said.
