Iran standoff has human consequences

TEHERAN, Iran - The human impact from the wrangling between Iran and the West over its nuclear program could fall first in nuclear medicine clinics around the country, where hundreds of cancer patients a week get treatment with radioactive isotopes.

Iran says fuel for the Teheran research reactor that produces the isotopes will run out in September next year, leaving it without the materials needed to diagnose and treat some 850,000 cancer patients across the country.

A deal for the West to provide fuel for the reactor has all but fallen apart in the deadlock over Iran's broader nuclear program, and Iran's drive to produce the fuel on its own has brought condemnation from the United States and Europe. They fear the program could boost what they contend is the secret goal of Iran's nuclear ambitions: to produce a bomb.