WarSclerotic

	Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, flashes a victory sign before signing an agreement with Turkey and Brazil to send low-grade nuclear fuel abroad, on May 17, 2010.
	Photo by: AP

The White House said Monday that Washington and its international partners remained seriously concerned about Tehran’s nuclear program, but that it would be a positive step for Iran to transfer low-enriched uranium off of its soil as it agreed to do in October.

“Iran must take the steps necessary to assure the international community that its nuclear program is intended exclusively for peaceful purposes,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said in a statement.

Gibbs acknowledged efforts made by Turkey and Brazil, and said the proposal must “be conveyed clearly and authoritatively” to the International Atomic Energy Agency before it can be considered by the international community.

“Given Iran’s repeated failure to live up to its own commitments and the need to address fundamental issues related to Iran’s nuclear program, the United States and international community continue to have serious concerns,” Gibbs said.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev earlier Monday cautiously welcomed the Iranian fuel swap deal brokered by Brazil and Turkey, but said that questions remained that may fail to allay international fears over Tehran’s contentious nuclear program.

“One question is: will Iran itself enrich uranium? As far as I understand from officials of that state, such work will be continued. In this case, of course, those concerns that the international community had before could remain,” Medvedev said.

Iran agreed with Brazil and Turkey on Monday that it would send some of its uranium abroad, abruptly ending its refusal to countenance such a deal just as the United Nations Security Council readied tougher sanctions.

“The question arises – is the level of this swap operation sufficient? Will all members of the international community be satisfied? I don’t know,” Medvedev said. “We need to see what follows this declaration.”

Medvedev said consultations were needed with Iran and all major powers involved in the negotiations about the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.

“After this, we need to decide what to do: Are those proposals sufficient or is something else needed? So I think a small pause on this problem would not do any harm,” he said.

He said he would speak later in the day to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to discuss the issue.

Medvedev’s fears were voiced just hours after an Iranian official vowed that Tehran would continue its uranium enrichment activities, including production of 20 percent enriched uranium even after signing the nuclear fuel swap deal.

“There is no relation between the swap deal and our enrichment activities … We will continue our 20 percent uranium enrichment work,” said Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization.

Iran signed an agreement late Sunday with mediators Brazil and Turkey for a nuclear fuel swap designed to allay international concern over the Islamic Republic’s atomic ambitions and avert fresh sanctions on Tehran.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said after the deal was signed that he saw no need for the West to pursue harsher United Nations Security Council sanctions.

U.S. Admiral James Stavridis, Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, called the deal a “potentially good development,” describing it as: “an example of what we all hope for, which is a diplomatic system that encourages good behavior on the part of the Iranian regime.”

But he added: “Obviously we have a million miles to go.”

Iran said it had agreed to swap 1,200 kg of its low-enriched uranium for higher-enriched nuclear fuel, to be used in a medical research reactor. The exchange would take place in Turkey, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said.

Iran, which rejects Western accusations it is seeking to develop nuclear bombs, had earlier insisted such a swap must take place on its territory.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on six world powers, which have been discussing further UN sanctions on the major oil producer, for fresh talks on Iran’s nuclear program after the fuel exchange agreement.

“Following the signing of the nuclear fuel swap deal, it is time for 5+1 countries to enter talks with Iran based on honesty, justice and mutual respect,” Ahmadinejad said, referring to the five permanent UN Security Council members and Germany.

There was no immediate comment from Washington, which has been leading a Western push to impose additional punitive measures on Tehran.

Turkey and Brazil, both non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, had offered to mediate to find a resolution to the impasse. It was seen as the last chance to avoid a fourth round of UN sanctions.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan discussed the deal with Ahmadinejad in Tehran, Iranian state media reported.

“The swap will take place in Turkey,” Mehmanparast told reporters, shortly before the agreement was signed by ministers in front of reporters.

Mehmanparast said Iran would send low-enriched uranium to Turkey within a month and that it would be under the supervision of the UN nuclear agency, state Press TV reported.

Major world powers had urged Iran to accept a months-old International Atomic Energy Agency plan to ship 1,200 kg (2,646 lb) of its low-enriched uranium – enough for a single bomb if purified to a high enough level – abroad for transformation into fuel for a medical research reactor.

The proposal, backed by the United States, Russia and France, was aimed at giving time for diplomatic talks with Iran.

Tehran agreed in principle to the deal in October but then demanded changes such as a simultaneous swap on Iranian soil, conditions other parties in the deal said were unacceptable.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Turkey would be obliged to return Iran’s LEU “immediately and unconditionally” if Monday’s agreement between Iran, Brazil and Turkey was not implemented.

“Based on the agreement signed this morning, if the swap does not take place, then Turkey will be obliged to send back our dispatched uranium immediately and unconditionally,” Mottaki said.

Trita Parsi, director of Washington-based National Iranian American Council, said a potential breakthrough had been made in the long-running dispute, saying Turkey and Brazil had succeeded in filling a “trust gap”.

“But will the deal be satisfactory to the U.S.? With the details remaining unknown, it’s impossible to speculate,” Parsi said in an e-mail comment.