国际英语新闻：Iran informs IAEA of nuclear fuel exchange agreement with Turkey, Brazil

VIENNA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Iran officially informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Monday that Iran has signed an agreement of enriching uranium abroad, with Turkey and Brazil on last Monday.

Thereafter, a short meeting was held between representatives of Iran, Turkey and Brazil, as well as the IAEA chief Yukiya Amano. A letter from the Iranian government has been delivered to the IAEA.

With the coordination of Brazil and Turkey, Iran agreed on last Monday to deposit 1,200 kg of its 3.5 percent (low-enriched) uranium (LEU) in Turkey, 120 kg of 20 percent uranium for the need of the Tehran Research Reactor (TRR) will return to Iran within one year. However, Iran announced later that uranium enrichment will be continued within the country.

Experts pointed that some details of the agreement are deserving attention, such as the incapability of Turkey to convert low-enriched uranium to high-enriched uranium, and the risk of processing uranium somewhere, once the low-enriched uranium is transported to Turkey.

The intention of signing this agreement met with general discredits. Diplomatic sources said the uranium-exchange agreement was only a maneuver to buy time. Iran was intended to run away from the coming UN sanctions, by taking advantage of Turkey and Brazil being non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.