Moscow says Iran didn’t refuse to enrich uranium in Russia
Published: 27 October, 2009, 23:37
Edited: 29 October, 2009, 15:01
Iran has not rejected an offer to enrich its uranium in Russia, and is preparing an official response to the proposals of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Russia’s Foreign Minister.










Here's a correction to the following statement: "On October 12, following Tehran’s confession that it has a second uranium enrichment facility in the city of Qom, the US, France, Russia, Iran and the IAEA met for talks in Vienna." 1. Iran did not "confess" that it has a second uranium enrichment facility. Iran made a disclosure required under IAEA regulations that it was building a new uranium enrichment facility. Under the rules, IAEA has to be notified SIX months prior to the MOVEMENT OF ANY NUCLEAR MATERIAL TO THE NEW FACILITY. Iran notified IAEA eighteen months ahead of schedule. This is not a "confession", but a standard disclosure. What made this disclosure embarrasing, was the inability of western intelligence agencies to get that information prior to Iran's report to IAEA. This is why following the report, much noise has been made about the facility. 2. Iran did not declare that it has a second uranium processing facility. By reporting it this way, you are creating impression that Iran has unveiled a facility where the uranium processing already takes place. This is not true. This is a new facility being built, and for reasons that Iran does not have to explain to anyone. Any movement of nuclear material, under IAEA rules, must be done under supervision of IAEA. When Russia moved enriched uranium to Bushehr nuclear electric plant, it was also under the supervision of IAEA, that was present from the moment the uranium was packed for transport, throughout the transport and has been present when the uranium has been loaded into the plant. These are the same regulations that require Iran to notify IAEA of any material move from old to the new facility. Without the necessary explanation, the article conveys the impression that Iran "confessed" to having another "uranium processing" plant.