Iran submits letter on nuclear talks to IAEA

Iran has submitted a letter on resuming the nuclear talks to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), local satellite Press TV reported on Monday.

The letter, jointly provided by Iran's National Security Supreme Council and Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, expresses Iran's readiness to start uranium swap talks, the report said.

The letter was given to IAEA Director General Yukio Amano by Iran's representative to IAEA Ali Asghar Soltanieh in Vienna, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

"The main message of the letter is Iran's complete readiness to attend the talks over providing fuel for Tehran's reactor," Soltanieh said to Fars in Vienna.

"Iran is ready to initiate the talks with the other side, without any precondition and in the earliest time, ... in Vienna and within the framework of IAEA over providing the fuel for ( Tehran's) reactor," he was quoted as saying.

Turkey, Iran and Brazil signed an agreement on May 17, dubbed Tehran declaration, in which Iran committed itself to giving 1,200 kg of its 3.5 percent enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for 20 percent enriched uranium it will receive from Western countries to be used as fuel in the nuclear research reactor in Tehran.

"The director general of IAEA said that he will forward the letter to the U.S., Russia and France," Fars quoted Soltanieh as saying.

Earlier in the day, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said that Iran is ready to start the nuclear talks " without delay," the semi-official ISNA news agency reported.

"About nuclear fuel swap and talks with Vienna group, we are ready to start the talks without delay and in the earliest time," Mehmanparast was quoted as saying.

Source: Xinhua