Sunday, December 13, 2009

Iran’s New Proposal

In yet another turn in Iran’s position toward uranium swap with the West, Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki told said the country was ready to exchange the bulk of its stockpile of LEU as proposed by IAEA.

Mottaki, speaking to reporters at a regional security conference in Bahrain on Saturday, added that Iran was ready to swap 400kg of the proposed 1,200kg during the first phase. Mottaki was not clear when the next phases would take place and if all 1,200kg LEU would be swapped.

“We accepted the proposal in principle but there were differences in the mechanism …We suggested in the first phase we give you 400 kilograms of 3.5 percent enriched uranium and you give us the equivalent in 20 percent uranium,” Mottaki said.

Mottaki also suggested that the swap be take place on Iran’s Kish Island in the Persian Gulf.

4 comments:

Naj said...

I am completely confused over this back and forth going of the IRI. I wonder if it is just me, or they are confused themselves?

Can you please translate what is going on for my facile mind, I will be grateful :)

Btw, what do you make of IRNA's demoting Hashemi!

And what do you think of Solemani-pour's death?

Mark Pyruz said...

Naj, so far I think Professor Farhi's take is the best informed:

http://www.merip.org/mero/mero120809.html

Anonymous said...

i believe iran did some deal with china in this regard to exchange 882 pound leu for 20% last weeks ahmadinajad call to produce 20% for medical research center in iran this level of talk has been issued with china and may in russian too let see what will come by this week from 5+1 at this momment 5+1 has been rescatual for other times china will not participat at this momment.

Anonymous said...

Why is this a change?

"We want to make sure that the swap is not a political game and that is why have declared our proposal. They should confirm that they will give us 20 percent uranium fuel in Kish in return for 400 kilograms of 3.5 enriched uranium to be delivered by Iran," the Islamic republic news agency quoted Mottaki as saying.

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8809211779

It doesn't sound like they are dropping the up-front requirement. They are simply re-iterating the same proposition that was previously ignored, but specifying kish as the site of the excahnge.


Masoud



Masoud