Iran negotiates over the exchange of 3.5-percentage fuel needed need for the Tehran reactor, to a 20-percentage fuel, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi was quoted as saying by the Iranian Ilna news agency. If the agreement is reached upon this issue, it will be announced, he added.

Iran negotiates not only with Brazil and France, but also with other countries, as well as with an Asian country, he said replying to question on with which countries Iran mulls the exchange of 20-percentage fuel.


He did not reply the question, whether this Asian country is Japan or not.

The West asked Iran to transfer 1,200 kilograms of 3.5-percent enriched uranium to Russia in exchange for 20-percent enriched uranium to provide fuel for the reactor's laboratory.

The Tehran laboratory reactor was built 40 years ago by the U.S. Its main function is to produce medicine. Acquiring 19.75-percent uranium from Argentina, Iran provided the laboratory with fuel for the last time in 1993.


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