Iran already produced 25 kg of 20-percent enriched uranium and the country will produce nuclear fuel needed for the Tehran reactor by late 2010, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali-Akbar Salehi was quoted as saying by IRNA.
"Iran ready to hold talks with the Western countries without any preconditions, on the basis of the Tehran Declaration, but this does not mean that Iran suspends its uranium enrichment," Salehi said.
Iran needs about 120 kg of 19.75-percent enriched uranium to be used for medical purposes at the Tehran research reactor.
In October 2009, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and "six international mediators on Iran" (Russia, the U.S., China, Britain, France and Germany) offered Tehran to exchange low-enriched uranium (3.5-percent) to high-enriched uranium (20-percent). According to this plan, Iran was proposed to export its LEU to Russia where it would be further enriched and then sent to France for processing it into fuel assemblies for the Tehran reactor. But Tehran said it was ready to buy more highly enriched uranium or exchange with its reserves, provided that the exchange will be held in the Iranian territory.
The 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. Under the agreement, Iran is ready to deliver 1.2 tons of low enriched uranium to Turkey to get 120 kilograms of nuclear fuel.