This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/8327558.stm
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 3 | Version 4 |
---|---|
Iran 'to accept UN nuclear deal' | Iran 'to accept UN nuclear deal' |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Iran will accept a UN deal on its nuclear programme, but only if "very important changes" are made, Iranian state media have reported. | Iran will accept a UN deal on its nuclear programme, but only if "very important changes" are made, Iranian state media have reported. |
Al Alam TV quoted "informed" sources as saying Tehran would respond to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) deal within 48 hours. | Al Alam TV quoted "informed" sources as saying Tehran would respond to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) deal within 48 hours. |
Under the draft proposal, Iran would send its enriched uranium to Russia and France to be turned into fuel. | Under the draft proposal, Iran would send its enriched uranium to Russia and France to be turned into fuel. |
Iran missed a Friday deadline for responding to the IAEA's proposal. | Iran missed a Friday deadline for responding to the IAEA's proposal. |
All the other parties have confirmed their support for the deal, which is seen as a way for Tehran to get the fuel it needs for an existing reactor, while giving guarantees to the West that its enriched uranium will not be used for nuclear weapons. | All the other parties have confirmed their support for the deal, which is seen as a way for Tehran to get the fuel it needs for an existing reactor, while giving guarantees to the West that its enriched uranium will not be used for nuclear weapons. |
Al Alam said Iran would "accept the broad framework of the deal, but wants very important changes in it". | Al Alam said Iran would "accept the broad framework of the deal, but wants very important changes in it". |
The station gave no further details on the changes Iran was reported to have requested be made to the draft. | The station gave no further details on the changes Iran was reported to have requested be made to the draft. |
We will wait until we decide that enough is enough and that the process is exhausted Bernard KouchnerFrench foreign minister | We will wait until we decide that enough is enough and that the process is exhausted Bernard KouchnerFrench foreign minister |
On Monday, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Iran was considering whether to send some of its uranium stock to other countries for enriching or to buy already enriched uranium. | On Monday, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Iran was considering whether to send some of its uranium stock to other countries for enriching or to buy already enriched uranium. |
Mr Mottaki said the decision would be announced within days. | Mr Mottaki said the decision would be announced within days. |
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said that all the other parties in the talks had shown "a great deal of patience", and he accused Tehran of wasting time. | |
The AFP news agency quoted Mr Kouchner as saying that Mr Mottaki "makes declarations and more declarations" which "rarely provoke enthusiasm" and are "rarely very positive". | The AFP news agency quoted Mr Kouchner as saying that Mr Mottaki "makes declarations and more declarations" which "rarely provoke enthusiasm" and are "rarely very positive". |
"We have been waiting for light at the end of the tunnel for almost three years. We will wait until we decide that enough is enough and that the process is exhausted," said Mr Kouchner. | "We have been waiting for light at the end of the tunnel for almost three years. We will wait until we decide that enough is enough and that the process is exhausted," said Mr Kouchner. |
"One day it will be too late." | |
EU foreign ministers had hoped to have a reply from Iran by Tuesday, in time for high-level meetings in Luxembourg. | EU foreign ministers had hoped to have a reply from Iran by Tuesday, in time for high-level meetings in Luxembourg. |
The EU's Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana said the UN had offered "a good deal" and did not require "fundamental changes", Reuters reports. | |
Inspection | Inspection |
Opposition inside Iran to the agreement is said to be growing. The BBC's Tehran correspondent, Jon Leyne, says that if it is approves, it would offer some evidence that negotiations with Iran can bear fruit. | |
But if Tehran rejects it, the wider talks process would face a bleak future and new sanctions would once again be on the agenda, he adds. | |
NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE Mined uranium ore is purified and reconstituted into solid form known as yellowcakeYellowcake is converted into a gas by heating it to about 64C (147F) Gas is fed through centrifuges, where its isotopes separate and the process is repeated until uranium is enrichedLow-level enriched uranium is used for nuclear fuelHighly enriched uranium can be used in nuclear weapons | |
On Sunday, a team from the UN watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) began an inspection of an Iranian uranium plant. | On Sunday, a team from the UN watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) began an inspection of an Iranian uranium plant. |
The Fordo plant, built into a mountainside near the city of Qom, was previously secret. | The Fordo plant, built into a mountainside near the city of Qom, was previously secret. |
Its existence was announced by the Iranian authorities last month, apparently because Western intelligence agencies had already discovered it, says our correspondent. | Its existence was announced by the Iranian authorities last month, apparently because Western intelligence agencies had already discovered it, says our correspondent. |
Iran agreed to open the site to monitoring at talks with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany in Geneva on 1 October. | Iran agreed to open the site to monitoring at talks with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany in Geneva on 1 October. |
The inspectors are not expected to report until they leave Iran, but some Iranian officials have already said the inspection shows their country's nuclear activities are both transparent and peaceful. | The inspectors are not expected to report until they leave Iran, but some Iranian officials have already said the inspection shows their country's nuclear activities are both transparent and peaceful. |
Iran says its nuclear programme is for purely peaceful purposes, but the revelation of the existence of the new plant increased fears in the West about Tehran's intentions. | Iran says its nuclear programme is for purely peaceful purposes, but the revelation of the existence of the new plant increased fears in the West about Tehran's intentions. |