Two top Iranian officials said on Tuesday Tehran does not oppose sending its low-enriched uranium abroad as long there is a simultaneous exchange inside the country of nuclear fuel processed by world powers. Foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast and nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri said simultaneous exchange inside Iran of its 3.5 percent low-enriched uranium with 20 percent pure uranium processed abroad would act as the guarantee required by Tehran.

“Iran is not opposed to sending uranium abroad, but is considering how to do that,” Mehmanparast told a news conference. He said Tehran wanted a “100 percent guarantee” that it would receive the fuel required for its research reactor and “one of the guarantees is a simultaneous exchange of fuel inside the country.”

Mehmanparast underscored that, saying Iran wanted such a guarantee because “the countries we are dealing with do not have good records in our public opinion.” “They have not lived up to their expectations and it has kind of created mistrust.”

Bagheri too said the simultaneous exchange of uranium would be the best guarantee to resolve the current impasse. “They (world powers) said that our 1,200 kilograms of 3.5 percent enriched uranium should be transported for further enrichment to 20 percent level by Russia and then to be converted into fuel by France for the Tehran reactor,” said Bagheri who is also the deputy secretary of Iran’s powerful Supreme National Security Council.

“Iran has no problem in transporting its 3.5 percent LEU, but needs a 100 percent guarantee it will get the fuel for the Tehran reactor and one of the guarantees is the simultaneous exchange of fuel inside Iranian territory,” he told hardline newspaper, Kayhan.

For his part, chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalali stressed that the Islamic republic wanted “concrete guarantees it would get the fuel for the Tehran reactor.” “If there is no concrete guarantee, we have other options,” he told state-owned Arabic language Al-Alam television, indicating Iran that could enrich its LEU to 20 percent or buy it abroad.