Iran urges sceptical powers to accept atom swap offer

Iran urged big powers and the UN nuclear watchdog on Monday to implement a deal to send some of its uranium to Turkey in return for atomic fuel, and said its nuclear enrichment programme was a separate issue.

Iran urged big powers and the UN nuclear watchdog on Monday to implement a deal to send some of its uranium to Turkey in return for atomic fuel, and said its nuclear enrichment programme was a separate issue.

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The proposal to swap low-enriched uranium for fuel to run an Iranian medical research reactor, aimed at allaying fears Iran is trying to amass enough fissile material for nuclear weapons, was agreed last week by Tehran with Turkey and Brazil.

"We expect (this) to be realized as soon as possible," said Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

When asked if Iran would continue enriching uranium to higher levels if the deal went through, he said: "This is not the issue."