Iran in talks over uranium swap: atomic chief

TEHRAN, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi said Iran is currently talking with some countries to swap its low-grade uranium for the high- grade uranium needed for a research reactor in Tehran, Iran's Labor news agency (ILNA) reported on Wednesday.

Rejecting any final agreement on the uranium swap with some countries which are able to produce 20 percent enriched uranium, Salehi said "the talks are currently underway and we will announce the final agreements."

Asked whether Iran has entered the negotiations with countries other than France and Brazil, Salehi, who is also Iran's vice president, said there are a number of countries involved in the swap and one of them is from Asia, but he refused to specify the Asian state as Japan.

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that the country is ready to ship its low-enriched uranium abroad for further enrichment as requested.

Under a draft deal brokered by the international nuclear watchdog, most of Iran's existing low-grade enriched uranium, nuclear fuel for its research reactor, will be shipped to Russia and France, where it will be processed into fuel rods with a purity of 20 percent.

The higher-level enriched uranium will then be transported back to Iran. Tehran had been standing against the deal till Tuesday.

Western countries have accused Iran of covertly building nuclear weapons, but Tehran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful and aims to generate electricity for civilian use.