TEHERAN - Iran’s ambassador to the UN nuclear watchdog said on Saturday that Iran had a basic deal to enrich uranium in a joint venture in Russia but said details were still being worked out, Iranian state radio reported.Ali Asghar Soltanieh, the envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), did not say if the joint venture enrichment was an alternative to enriching inside Iran, although Iranian officials have insisted they would defy UN demands and continue to enrich on Iranian territory. “He ... announced the basic agreement on a joint uranium enrichment firm on Russian soil and said that there are only some issues regarding technical, legal and financial matters that need more assessment or exchange of ideas,” radio quoted Soltanieh as saying from Russia.
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Soltanieh was also quoted by the radio announcer as saying Iran would issue tenders next month for two nuclear power stations, in addition to one being built with Russian help near the southern port city of Bushehr. It was not clear if he meant May or the next Iranian month which starts on May 22.