Iran to enrich uranium itself if third-party deal fails
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Iran's Atomic Energy Organization spokesman Ali Shirzadian said on Saturday that Iran will manage to enrich uranium of 20-percent purity if third-party deal fails, local ISNA news agency reported.
"We will write a letter and inform the (International Atomic Energy) Agency that Iran will supply fuel for the Tehran reactor itself," Shirzadian said in an interview with ISNA when asked about Iran's reaction if it fails to buy nuclear fuel for a research reactor in Tehran from foreign suppliers.
According to Shirzadian, Iran needs 150 to 300 kilograms of 20-percent pure uranium for the main reactor in Tehran.
"It is more economical for us to buy nuclear fuel in bulk for Tehran reactor than enrich 5-percent pure uranium to 20-percent ourselves," he said, "therefore, we have told the agency that we need this amount of fuel."
"Iran fully owns the enrichment technology and it will sit at the negotiating table influentially," he added.
Officials from Iran, the United States, Russia, France and the IAEA are to meet in Vienna on Oct. 19 to talk about modalities for deals under which Iran buys higher grade uranium from foreign suppliers, ISNA said.
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said last Wednesday that Iran is ready to buy its needed nuclear fuel from any country, even from the United States.
On Oct. 1, Iran held talks with top envoys from the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany in Geneva, Switzerland, during which the six major powers and Iran agreed to hold a second round of meeting focusing on Iran's nuclear issue bythe end of this month.
