Iran rejects deal on enrichment right
Foreign Desk Report

TEHRAN—Iran on Saturday insisted upon its right to enrich its own uranium, rebuffing a proposal that Russia should perform the sensitive atomic fuel work to allay fears Tehran is seeking nuclear arms.
Iran is facing referral to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions after failing to convince the international community its nuclear ambitions are entirely peaceful. “Iran’s nuclear fuel must be produced inside the country,” Iranian nuclear chief Gholamreza Aghazadeh told reporters in Tehran after meeting Igor Ivanov, Secretary of Russia’s Security Council.
Britain, France and Germany have drafted a proposal offering Iran the chance to transfer its uranium enrichment activities to Russia, an EU diplomat told Reuters on Friday. Diplomats say Iran could soothe international fears its uranium is intended for use in warheads by handing over the enrichment process to Russia.
They argue that Iran insisting on processing uranium is tantamount to an admission that it wants nuclear weapons and not a peaceful nuclear energy program since processing in Russia would be much cheaper and less controversial.
The EU diplomat said the European Union and the United States would both push for Iran to be sent to the Security Council at a board meeting of the U.N. nuclear watchdog on November 24 if the proposal were snubbed.
Iran insists it has every right to enrich the uranium it mines in its central deserts and argues the enriched uranium is needed only to run power stations.
Aghazadeh reiterated Iran was looking for foreign partners for its enrichment work.
“Of course we would welcome the participation of any other countries,” he added. Iran has estimated that underground enrichment facilities near the central town of Natanz will need investment of about $1 billion, of which a maximum of $350 million could be provided by foreign countries.