国际英语新闻：Iranian spokesman rules out proposal to suspend enrichment

TEHRAN, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast said Wednesday that Tehran will not consider proposals which demand the closure of Tehran research reactors and suspension of its uranium enrichment, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported.

"If any proposal is preceded by the condition to close Tehran research reactor, we will not accept that suggestion," Mehman- Parast was quoted as saying.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast speaks during his first weekly news conference in Tehran November 24, 2009.

"When the United States proposed that it can provide Iran with radioisotopes instead of Iran producing 20 percent uranium itself, it was not rational," Mehman-Parast said.

"We will study the proposals which lead to cooperation and we have announced that (Iran's) uranium enrichment does not contradict those proposals," he added.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that Iran is to pursue its plan for enriching high-grade uranium for its research reactor, but is still ready to exchange its low-grade uranium for 20 percent uranium fuel.

Last week, Iran handed over a letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), informing it about the Islamic republic's plan to produce 20 percent enriched uranium, provoking fresh warnings from the West of new sanctions.

"Not only it is a necessity for the reactor to keep working, but in case the domestic use requires, the number of them ( research reactors) should be increased," he told ISNA.