Iran attaches conditions to Russian Nuclear proposal

LONDON, March 1 (IranMania) - A senior Iranian official said a Russian plan to resolve a dispute over Iran's nuclear programme would only be acceptable if Tehran could continue sensitive fuel cycle "research", AFP reported.

The spokesman for Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Hossein Entezami, said Moscow's proposal "must include a guarantee that nuclear fuel will be supplied to Iran, (allows) research activities to continue and recognises Iran's right to conduct industrial scale research."

Russia is proposing to enrich uranium on Iran's behalf, giving it the fuel for a nuclear power but not the technology for a bomb.

The plan is seen as a final effort to avert international sanctions over the Islamic republic's nuclear programme ahead of a key March 6 meeting of the watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Iran said Sunday it agreed "in principle" to Russia's offer.

But Russian officials have sounded a cautious note, saying there were still many issues to be resolved and insisting Iran had to resume a moratorium on uranium enrichment on its own soil.