Iran finds Russian nuclear proposal 'unacceptable'

Iran is not ready to accept Russia’s proposal aimed at resolving the international crisis over Tehran’s suspected nuclear weapons programme, Russian newspapers reported today.

Iran and Russia yesterday finished two days of inconclusive talks in Moscow on a Russian offer to enrich uranium for Tehran to avert suspicions that the Iranians could divert the nuclear fuel for atomic weapons.

The Vedomosti daily newspaper quoted an official close to the Iranian delegation as saying that Iran insisted on the right to conduct its own enrichment activities.

“There are no reasons at this stage to resume dialogue,” said the official.

An Iranian diplomat quoted by the Vremya Novostei daily newspaper said that the Middle East country wanted Russia to produce large-scale enriched uranium for it but needed a domestic uranium enrichment programme to create “the basis for independence in the nuclear sphere".