Iran calls for French help in nuclear programme

A top Iranian official proposed today that France create a consortium to enrich Iran’s uranium, to satisfy international demands for outside monitoring of Tehran’s nuclear programme.

Speaking on French radio, deputy chief of Iran’s Atomic Energy Agency Mohammad Saeedi said: “To be able to arrive at a solution, we have just had an idea.

“We propose that France create a consortium for the production in Iran of enriched uranium.

“That way France, through the companies Eurodif and Areva, could control in a tangible way our enrichment activities.”

World powers are in a stand-off with Iran over its nuclear programme, which Tehran insists is aimed at producing electricity but which many nations fear is aimed at making nuclear weapons.

Iran ignored a UN Security Council deadline in August to suspend uranium enrichment or face possible sanctions.

Saeedi gave no other details of his proposal, which appeared to be an Iranian initiative. France, a permanent member of the Security Council, is among the countries leading the push to stop Iran’s nuclear activities.

France is also the world’s most nuclear energy-dependent country, relying on atomic reactors for about 75% of its electricity, and has several leading nuclear manufacturers.

Areva and Eurodif could not immediately be reached for comment on the proposal today.

Russia sought to defuse the dispute with Iran by offering to conduct all of Iran’s enrichment on Russian soil, but Tehran has refused. Moscow says it has worked out a deal with Iran for all the plant's spent fuel to be sent to Russia, eliminating the possibility that Iran could reprocess it for weapons.