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Iran may ship 'part' of uranium abroad

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-10-26 18:14

Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki speaks during a news conference in Tehran October 20, 2009. [Agencies]

TEHRAN: Iran's Foreign Minister says his country may agree to ship just part of its stockpile of low enriched uranium abroad for further enrichment as per a U.N.-drafted plan.

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Monday's comments by Manouchehr Mottaki is the first official indication that Tehran may at least partly agree to a U.N.-drafted plan to ship much of Iran's uranium to Russia for further enrichment.

Mottaki said Iran is weighing between the U.N.-drafted plan or buying its own enriched uranium.

In either case, Iran would continue to enrich its own uranium as well, he said.

The West sees the U.N.-brokered plan as a way to ease concerns that Iranian labs could push the uranium enrichment to higher, weapon-grade levels.

Iran claims it only seeks peaceful nuclear energy.