Reuters reported that Iran would not send its enriched uranium abroad for further processing but would consider swapping it for nuclear fuel and keeping it under supervision inside the country.

Mr Manouchehr Mottaki foreign minister of Iran said that "Surely we will not send our 3.5% fuel abroad but can review swapping it simultaneously with nuclear fuel inside Iran."

The decision is expected to anger the US and its allies that had called on Iran to accept a deal which aimed to delay Iran's potential ability of making bombs by at least a year by divesting Iran of most of its enriched uranium.

A draft deal brokered by the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, calls on Iran to send some 75% of its low enriched uranium to Russia and France to be turned into fuel for a Tehran medical research reactor.


Tehran has repeatedly said it preferred to buy reactor fuel from foreign suppliers rather than part with its low enriched uranium that can be used for bombs if enriched further.

(Sourced from Reuters)