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Iran on Monday agreed to ship much of its low enriched uranium abroad but came with a caveat that it would continue to enrich its Uranium to higher levels.
This decision to export a large amount of its low enriched Uranium to Turkey is being seen as its softening stand on the issue in the wake of fresh UN sanctions.
Britain for instance reported that while it awaits the final report on Iran’s deal with Turkey and Brazil on the issue it will still support the new sanctions against Tehran.
"Our position on Iran is unchanged at the present time," Steve Field, Prime Minister David Cameron's spokesman, told reporters. "Iran has an obligation to reassure the international community, and until it does so, we will continue to work with our international partners on a sanctions resolution in the United Nations Security Council.
Likewise, the US was also largely unconvinced by the actions taken by Iran. It said that Iran will have to do much more than what it has done now to convince US of its peaceful intentions and also assure international community.
Christoph Steegmans, German Government spokesperson said that questions still remain on whether Iran suspends enrichment of nuclear material at home.
Iran’s decision can be considered as a diplomatic victory against decision by Russia and China to support fresh sanctions from Security Council.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said "As far as I understand from some Iranian official statements, it will continue such work. In that case, the international community's concerns could remain.
The deal also brings Turkey and Brazil closer to Tehran.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said "Turkey hopes that this process will be supported by world countries without any setbacks, " "There would be no question of sanctions if all countries support this process."
West had appreciated Iran’s decision to export most if its low enriched stock as the west felt that it would have delayed Iran’s ability to make nuclear weapons.
The new proposal put forward would mean that Iran would ship out about 2,600 pounds, or 1,200 kilograms of low-enriched uranium — the same amount as under the tentative October agreement negotiated by the U.S., Russia, France and Iran and endorsed by the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency.
In October, exporting that amount would have left Iran with less than the 1,000 kilograms, or 2,200 pounds, of material needed to make enough weapons grade uranium for a bomb. Iran, in the meanwhile has produced additional low enriched material to have enough stock to make nuclear weapons.
In March, as per IAEA estimate Iran’s stockpile stood at around 2,100 kilograms. From the West's point of view, the volume of Uranium left over were quite high and hence that destroys much of the incentive for the agreement
The original UN proposal was to send the stockpiles to Russia and enrich it by 20% and convert it into fuel rods to power a Tehran medical research. The material returned to Iran as fuel rods cannot be processed beyond its lower, safer levels.
Later when the original fuel swap deal got discontinued Iran said it would enrich its Uranium to 20% thorough its own research fuel. This has send shockwaves through the civilized world, But after its failure to change the original terms of the fuel swap deal, Iran declared it would make its own research reactor fuel and began enriching to 20 percent four months ago.
"Of course, enrichment of uranium to 20 percent will continue inside Iran," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told the official news agency IRNA.
"There is no apparent civilian use for this material," the British Foreign Office said, adding that the decision to continue higher enrichment "underlines Iran's disregard for efforts to engage it in serious negotiation."
The U.S. official said Iran had "no justification for continuing" to enrich to near 20 percent.
Iran, has been claiming that its nuclear program is peaceful and that any swap would be only in domestic soil and only after swap of fuel rods.
If Iran does not receive the fuel rods within a year, Turkey will be required to "quickly and unconditionally" return the uranium to Iran
There are three rounds of sanctions on Iran for its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment.
"Should they be ready, an agreement will be signed between us and the group," he said, referring to the U.S., France, Russia and the IAEA.
A month later, the uranium would be sent to Turkey, where it would be stored under IAEA and Iranian supervision, Mehmanparast said.
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