Transfer of Iran’s Spent Fuel to Russia Not on Agenda

(FNA)- A senior Iranian diplomat underlined that Tehran's redlines remain unchanged, and transfer of spent nuclear fuel has never been on the agenda of talks.

"The issue of removing spent uranium from Iran to Russia has not been agreed upon yet… ," RIA Novosti quoted the Iranian diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, as saying on Friday.

"It's one of the subjects, we should continue our negotiation on it, there is not any final agreement," he added.

The diplomat reiterated that both sides are drafting the text and the amendments of the final agreement.

In late March, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araqchi said transfer of enriched uranium has never been on the agenda of talks.

"The exit of enriched uranium from the country has never been and will never be on our agenda," Araqchi, also Iran's deputy lead negotiator in the talks with the world power, said in Lausanne, Switzerland, on March 29.

On Tuesday, Araqchi said that a major part of the contents of the draft nuclear deal between Tehran and the world powers has been agreed, while differences are still in place over one part.

"We have now a text that a major part of it, even all its phrases, has been agreed but a part of it is still a source of difference," Araqchi said in an interview with the state-run TV upon arrival at Vienna airport.

"In certain paragraphs, there is difference on one phrase and in certain other paragraphs, one sentence and in certain parts, the whole phrase has not been agreed; yet now a major part has ended," he added.

Araqchi expressed the hope that Iran and the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany) would reach a final agreement before the July 1 deadline.

Asked about the next round of talks between Tehran and the G5+1 negotiators, he said representatives of Iran and the US will have a bilateral meeting in Vienna on Thursday and the deputy foreign ministers of other G5+1 members would join the talks on Friday.

After nine days of hard work in Lausanne, Switzerland, Iran and the G5+1 reached an understanding on April 2 which laid the ground for them to start drafting the final nuclear deal over Tehran's nuclear energy program ahead of a July 1 deadline.

Reading out a joint statement at a press conference with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini in Lausanne on April 2, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said according to the agreement, all the US, EU and UN Security Council sanctions against Iran would be lifted under the final deal.

The seven nations are now drafting the final deal.

The nuclear talks are making progress as the US Senate on Thursday advanced a legislation that would allow the Congress to review a nuclear deal between world powers and Iran.

On Sunday, Araqchi said that the Senate's intervention can delay the execution of a possible final agreement for nearly two months.

The bill gives the congress 30 days to review a final nuclear deal if Iran and the G5+1 reach such an agreement, and during that time bars US President Barack Obama from temporarily waiving any US sanctions on Iran that were passed by congress.

If the Congress approves the deal or fails to disapprove it within a certain timeframe the deal can move forward.

While the debate continues, some US lawmakers have signaled their support for the Obama's talks with Iran. 150 Democrats have urged Obama to “stay on course” and commended the work of world powers so far in the process.