If Iran receives the official or written proposal on the uranium exchange, then the country may join discussions, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast was quoted as saying by the Ilna news agency. He was commenting on the information that the U.S is ready to provide Iran with 20-percent enriched uranium, if the country stops the uranium enrichment.
"We have repeatedly voiced that we are ready to purchase or exchange the fuel necessary to the Tehran reactor, in addition to enrich it," he added.
Iran launched uranium enrichment Feb.9. Iran has already enriched the first batch of uranium up to 20-percent, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said earlier. Iran has a capacity to enrich uranium to 20-percent in the amount of 3-5 kilograms per month, Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Director Ali Akbar Salehi said. In hisrecent speech, the president said Iran will three-fold increase the level of production.
The U.S. and other Western countries accuse Iran of developing nuclear weapons for military purposes under the guise of peaceful nuclear energy program. Tehran denies the charges, saying that its nuclear program is aimed solely at meeting the country's electricity needs. The U.N. Security Council adopted five resolutions in connection with the suspension of Iran's nuclear program. Three involve the use of economic sanctions on Iran.