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Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki says Iran's nuclear program is intended for civilian purposes.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Under U.N.-backed plan, Iran would send uranium abroad for further enrichment
- Iran says it has right to produce highly enriched uranium for Tehran medical reactor
- United States and other Western nations fear it aims to build a nuclear bomb
(CNN) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on Sunday met with the head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency to discuss a plan to swap uranium for a nuclear research reactor in Tehran.
The meeting with International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano in Vienna, Austria, would "revolve around a fuel exchange deal, which was partly proposed by (Amano) himself," Mottaki told reporters upon arrival in the city, according to Iran's official Press TV.
Under the U.N.-backed plan, Iran would send its uranium abroad for further enrichment. Iranian officials have said the nation has the right to produce highly enriched uranium for the Tehran medical reactor under the supervision of the IAEA.
"We had a series of meetings with member states of the U.N. Security Council a few months ago as a follow-up to a proposal by the IAEA on the delivery of fuel for an Iranian reactor. We have since brought them up to date on recent developments regarding our nuclear activities," Mottaki said.
IAEA spokeswoman Gill Tudor said the meeting "provided an opportunity to discuss issues related to the IAEA's relations with Iran, including the implementation of Iran's NPT (non-proliferation treaty) Safeguards Agreement with the agency."
"The director general and the minister discussed the issue of the provision of fuel for the Tehran research reactor and exchanged views on the possible modalities for its realization," Tudor said in a statement.
"The minister informed the director general about the recently held conference on nuclear disarmament that took place in Tehran."
U.S. President Barack Obama has been pressing the Security Council to impose tougher sanctions on Iran for its nuclear ambitions.
Iran has long claimed that its nuclear program is intended for civilian purposes, but the United States and other Western nations fear it aims to build a nuclear bomb.
A nuclear swap, Mottaki said Sunday, could build trust on both sides.
"Given the current circumstances, the role of the U.N. nuclear agency and its director can be even more positive and efficient in finding a solution to the deadlock over Iran's uranium enrichment," he said, according to Press TV.
Mottaki said he also plans to meet his Austrian counterpart, Michael Spindelegger, in Vienna in order to get Spindelegger's take on the Iranian nuclear issue, Press TV said.
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/04/25/iran.iaea.meeting/index.html
