WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A complex political situation in Iran may have hampered efforts to seal a nuclear fuel deal between Iran and major powers, said the U.S. president, Barack Obama, in an interview with Reuters.
Obama said the United States had made more progress toward nuclear nonproliferation in recent months than in recent years.
But it will take a time, and part of the challenge we face is that neither North Korea nor Iran seems to be stable enough politically to make quick decisions on those issues, said the president in the White House.
Obama said the United States, along with Russia, China, Germany, Britain and France made an offer fair to Iran that would give it a legitimate civilian nuclear program to dispel suspicions while seeking to develop atomic weapons.
Iran insists its nuclear program is purely civilian purposes.
The proposal of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA by its initials in English) Iran calls transferred by the end of this year nearly 75 percent of its 1.5 million metric tons lowly enriched uranium (LEU) to Russia for processing.
Then the material would to France for conversion into fuel plates for a reactor in Iran that produces radio isotopes for cancer treatment.
In talks with six world powers in Geneva on 1 October Iran agreed in principle a draft agreement.
However, the deal was stalled in the details and goals, and owing to concerns that Iran any nuclear fuel sent abroad not would return.
Although so far we have not seen the kind of positive response we want from Iran, we are well positioned so that even we could align the international community behind this agenda, Obama said.
(Writing by Ross Colvin, Editing by Jon Boyle Spanish)
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