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Critical day arrives for Iran nuclear swap deal
Leaders of the three countries announced the agreement last Monday under which Iran will send 1,200 kilograms of its enriched uranium stocks to Turkey in exchange for fuel rods for a Tehran medical research reactor. But the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, after months of negotiations, brushed off the deal with a draft resolution on a new set of sanctions against Iran that Washington handed to the Security Council on Tuesday. In a telephone conversation with PM Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday, US President Barack Obama said the US was expecting a “formal and authoritative message from Iran to the IAEA,” repeating that, although the efforts of Turkey and Brazil were appreciated, concerns over Iran's nuclear program did not diminish after last Monday's deal.
The letter to the IAEA constitutes the first phase of plan’s implementation, following which Iran would send 1,200 kilograms of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey within one month, awaiting the delivery of 120 kilograms of uranium enriched by Russia and France up to 20 percent in 11 months in return.
On Friday, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported that Tehran would present the letter to the IAEA today. “Iran is committed to the vows that it made and wants to make them operational and will submit its letter to International Atomic Energy Agency,” Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of the Iranian parliament’s Foreign Affairs and National Security Committee was quoted as saying by semi-official news agency ISNA. “The Americans’ propaganda will not have any effect on Iran’s decision. … We advise those countries who want to issue this resolution against Iran not to be manipulated by America.” Turkish and Brazilian representatives at the IAEA will accompany Iran’s envoy during the meeting with the IAEA chief on Monday, a communiqué from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council published on Saturday in the daily Hambastegi said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, who was involved in the 18-hour negotiations that preceded Monday’s deal, spoke to IAEA chief Yukiya Amano and his Iranian counterpart, Manouchehr Mottaki, on Sunday. Davutoğlu spoke to Amano after discussing the content of the letter with Mottaki, according to Foreign Ministry sources. Davutoğlu told Amano that he expected him to show leadership so that the process would advance to the next level without delay.
The Turkish side also appeared convinced that Iran’s move was satisfactory. “We believe the letter was formulated as a constructive and positive text,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Burak Özügergin said.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and asserted that Turkey’s efforts to rally international support for last Monday’s deal will continue, IRNA reported on Sunday. Turkey has been working intensively to extend support for the deal. On Saturday, Erdoğan’s office announced that the prime minister has written to the leaders of 26 countries saying the deal would resolve the nuclear standoff with Iran by way of diplomacy and negotiation. The countries include all permanent and non-permanent members of the UN Security Council.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in İstanbul on Friday he hoped the deal would open the way to a negotiated settlement of Iran’s row with the West over its nuclear program.
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