Iran to consider 20 percent uranium enrichment inside country: FM

Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said here Monday that Iran-Group 5+1 nuclear talks have only been focused on supplying fuel for Iran’s research reactor in Tehran.

Mottaki who is currently in the Malaysian capital city to attend the 12th ministerial meeting of the D8 group, made the remarks while talking to reporters on the sidelines of the meeting.

He added that Iran’s uranium enrichment for other reactors, other than the Tehran reactor, has not been ceased.

"The purchase of 20 percent enriched uranium for the Tehran reactor has nothing to do with the issue of enrichment," the Iranian foreign minister said, adding that the process of uranium enrichment is being continued.

“Our first request is to purchase nuclear fuel for the Tehran reactor but if we do not reach a conclusion on the issue, fuel production with the 20 percent enriched uranium inside Iran will be considered,” Mottaki reiterated.

Mottaki further referred to the existing relations between member states of the D8 group as “growing”.

Pointing to the great potentials in the D8 countries, he called for further expansion of trade cooperation among those states.

D8 group comprises of eight developing Islamic countries, namely Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Egypt and Nigeria.

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