Tehran (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Tehran looks set to refuse to send their stocks of enriched uranium abroad, in exchange for fuel for its nuclear research reactor. This is what emerges from the statements made today by Alaeddin Borujerdi, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, quoted by the semi-official ISNA news agency.

Borujerdi held that Iran has no plans to "send a portion of 1200 kilos [of low enriched uranium] to the counterparty to receive fuel." "This - he added - is out of discussion, either gradually or all at once." The Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee said that Iranian experts "are exploring ways to get the fuel" and Ali Asqar Soltanieh, Tehran's representative to the IAEA, is "negotiating to find a negotiated solution."  

The words of the exponent appear to preclude the possibility of Iran's agreement, on the basis of the proposal made by the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) on 23 October. It provides for Iran’s transfer of most of its stock - about 75% - of low enriched uranium (up to 5%) to third party countries, including Russia and France, who then delivered it again enriched to 20%, exclusively for civilian use in a reactor for medical research supervised by the IAEA. In the field of nuclear energy, in recent days different voices within the regime have been revealed, but so far no official response has been made to the IAEA. 

"The West - said Alaeddin Borujerdi - can not impose a deadline and we are not bound to respect their views." The Iranian exponent’s words seem to confirm the strategy of "wait and see" adopted by Iran. A strategy that, according to analysts, only serves to buy time to manufacture a nuclear bomb in secret. Israel us showing signs of impatience and the hypothesis of a surprise attack is gaining strength.