Iran has proposed a new framework for negotiations on the exchange of fuel, whereby the enriched uranium would be exchanged inside Iran, he said at a press conference in Manila on Friday before departing for Iran.

Mottaki added, “We have three ways to obtain the 20 percent (enriched) fuel: increasing the enrichment from 3.5 percent to 20 percent in Iran; buying the 20 percent fuel from other countries; or (through) the proposal made by the (International Atomic Energy) Agency and other countries, and Iran is ready for talks under the proposed framework.”

He also stated that it is not logical to ask Iran to ship its 3.5 percent enriched uranium out of the country and to receive the 20 percent enriched fuel later.

The Iranian foreign minister suggested that a simultaneous exchange of nuclear fuel should not be a problem.

The nuclear fuel talks between Iran, Russia, the United States, and France concluded on October 21 in Vienna without a final agreement, but IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei then presented a proposal for the four countries to study.

Under the draft deal, a large consignment of Iran’s enriched uranium would be shipped out of the country for processing into fuel rods with a purity of 20 percent, which would be used by a research reactor in Tehran that manufactures medical radioisotopes.

On October 23, diplomats from Russia, France, and the United States submitted their formal approvals of the deal to process Iran’s nuclear fuel abroad.

However, several senior Iranian officials, including Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani, have strongly criticized the deal, saying it is neither logical nor legal.

Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee rapporteur Kazem Jalali had said earlier that the proposed exchange of uranium should be done in Iran.