Ali Ashgar Soltanieh addresses the European Policy Center Conference in Brussels, 02 Oct 2008

A top Iranian nuclear negotiator says Tehran might consider stopping its controversial uranium enrichment program if it gets a guaranteed supply of fuel from abroad.

Iran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Ali Ashgar Soltanieh, said Thursday Iran might reconsider its stance in exchange for a legally binding agreement on a secure fuel supply for its nuclear power plants. 

But he also indicated that Iran might want to retain some enrichment capacity as what he called "a contingency," in case the outside supplies of nuclear fuel would be cut off.

Iran has ignored U.N. resolutions demanding that it stop uranium enrichment.  U.S. and European governments fear that Iran is trying to build a nuclear bomb.  Tehran denies that and says it wants only to produce low-grade fuel for nuclear energy.
 
The same enrichment process also could be used to produce highly enriched uranium for nuclear weapons.

Russia previously has offered to supply Iran with fuel for its nuclear power plants, in an effort to end the enrichment standoff.  Iran has rejected those offers in the past.

Soltanieh's comment marks a departure from Iran's long-standing insistence that it has the right to enrich uranium.  But diplomats say it is not likely that the IAEA would be willing or able to agree to his conditions anytime soon.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.