Editor's Note: Details have been added after the second paragraph
An agreement on the exchange of nuclear fuel will be discussed only within the Vienna group (IAEA, Russia, U.S. and France), Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was quoted by Fars news agency as saying today.
He added that there is no need to involve other countries in discussion of the issue.
The statement means that Turkey and Brazil could be left out of the negotiations.
A tripartite agreement on the exchange of uranium was reached May 17 between Iran, Turkey and Brazil. The foreign ministers of these countries signed a draft agreement for the exchange of Tehran's low-enriched uranium (up to 3.5 percent) for highly enriched uranium (up to 20 percent) for the Tehran research reactor. According to the document, the exchange will be made on Turkish territory.
The UN Security Council adopted six resolutions requiring it to cease uranium enrichment, four of which are aimed at imposing sanctions against Iran with two resolutions containing warnings.
Iran has produced 25 kilograms of 20-percent-fuel up to now. Iranian officials claim that if the West does not provide the Iran with the necessary fuel, it will begin to produce it itself.