Diplomats: Iran agrees to draft deal on uranium

[October 21, 2009]  VIENNA (AP) -- The International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran has agreed to a draft deal on its nuclear program.

In addition, diplomats say the deal would see the country ship out most of its enriched uranium to Russia, stripping Tehran of most of the material it would need to make a nuclear weapon.

IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said Wednesday that Iran and the U.S., Russia and France have signed off on a draft deal that he hoped would be approved by the nations' capitals by Friday.

He gave no details. But a diplomat inside the closed meeting told The Associated Press that the draft foresees the export most of Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium.

Iran says it is enriching to provide fuel for a future network of nuclear reactors. But enriched uranium can also be used to make the fissile core of nuclear warheads.

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THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE.
AP's earlier story is below.

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VIENNA (AP) -- Negotiators from three powers and Iran are meeting for a third day in an attempt to persuade Tehran to ship most of its enriched uranium abroad.

An agreement would delay Tehran's potential ability to make a nuclear weapon because enriched uranium can be used for the fissile core of nuclear weapons. Tehran says it is enriching only to make fuel for a planned network of reactors.

The tentative plan envisions Russia enriching the material to a higher grade and then another country turning the uranium into metal fuel rods for Tehran's research reactor.

Iran's interlocutors are the U.S., Russia and France. The talks, which resumed Wednesday, opened Monday and have been repeatedly delayed as the two sides search for agreement.

[Associated Press; By GEORGE JAHN]

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