Russia Offers Nuclear Deal To Iran
An Iranian woman at a rally in support of Tehran's nuclear program, 22 January (file photo) (epa)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia's proposal is motivated by a "will to help."
The ITAR-Tass news agency quoted the Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad as casting doubt on the idea in a speech on 2 February.
The European Union and the United States have backed Russia's proposal to enrich uranium for Iran as a possible way out of the impasse over its disputed nuclear program.
The 35-member governing body of the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is bracing itself to decide to report Iran to the UN Security Council over its nuclear program.
The IAEA talks are currently being held behind closed doors in Vienna.
(AP)
On 2 February, the 35-member Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency began discussing a draft resolution aimed at referring the matter of Iran's nuclear program to the United Nations Security Council. The key section of the resolution is Section 1, which states that the Board of Governors:
Underlines that outstanding questions can best be resolved and confidence built in the exclusive peaceful nature of Iran's program by Iran responding positively to the calls for confidence building measures which the Board has made on Iran, and in this context deems it necessary for Iran to:
- reestablish full and sustained suspension of all enrichment-related and processing activities, including research and development, to be verified by the Agency;
- reconsider the construction of a research reactor moderated by heavy water;
- ratify promptly and implement in full Additional Protocol;
- pending ratification, continue to act in accordance with the provisions of the Additional Protocol with Iran signed on 18 December 2003;
- implement the transparency measures, as requested by the Director General, which extend beyond the former requirements of the Safeguards Agreement and Additional Protocol, and include such access to individuals, documentation relating to procurement, dual use equipment, certain military-owned workshops and research and development as the Agency may request in support of its ongoing investigations.
THE COMPLETE TEXT: To read the complete text of the resolution, click here.
THE COMPLETE PICTURE: RFE/RL's complete coverage of controversy surrounding Iran's nuclear program.
An annotated timeline of Iran's nuclear program.