TEHRAN - The International Atomic Energy Agency has presented Iran’s request to buy 20 percent enriched nuclear fuel to a number of other countries besides the handful of major powers.

Earlier, Iran had asked IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano to submit its request to buy fuel for the Tehran research reactor to other countries, and this move came in response to that request, Iran’s ambassador to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, told the Mehr News Agency on Thursday.
Amano “has started efforts and presented Iran’s request to other countries,” Soltanieh added.
At first, the IAEA only presented Iran’s request to a few members of the 5+1 group (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany).
Soltanieh said a number of countries have welcomed Iran’s request.
He said Amano had given him the list of countries but did not identify the countries on the list.
“The list of countries to which Amano has presented Iran’s request has not been made public… and Amano himself prefers that, if necessary, the names and the number of these countries should be announced later.”
Independent states won’t allow Security Council to dictate to IAEA
Elsewhere in his remarks, Soltanieh insisted that Iran would not allow the UN Security Council to dictate its views to the IAEA.
“If the agency is told what to do and what not to do, this runs contrary to the agency’s rules and regulations,” he said.
Iran and over 100 independent states will not allow the United States and other Western countries to impose their views on the IAEA, he added.
Iran’s proposal will not remain on the table forever
On Iran’s proposal, which envisages a simultaneous nuclear fuel swap on Iranian territory, he said that “undoubtedly, this proposal can not remain on the table forever.”
Iran is waiting for the atmosphere of confrontation to change into an atmosphere of cooperation and that is why Iran made this constructive proposal and opened a “window of opportunity” for other countries, but this proposal is not open-ended, he noted.
Iran’s ambassador to the IAEA also stated that any development that undermines the atmosphere of cooperation will result in the withdrawal of Iran’s proposal and advised the parties involved to seize the opportunity Iran has presented.
“This proposal is a test to verify these countries’ political will to cooperate within the framework of the agency,” he added