Iran lauds nuke 'cooperation,' but hedges on U.S.-backed deal

Iran's president declared yesterday that his country is working with the West to resolve the standoff over its nuclear program. But a Western diplomat said Iran has rejected a U.S.-backed plan to export most of its enriched uranium, and wants instead to enrich to higher levels under the supervision of the United Nations - a plan that could speed up Tehran's ability to make a nuclear weapon.

The disconnect between the words of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Tehran's decision, as related by the diplomat, reflect the difficulties facing international negotiators trying to persuade Iran to give up enrichment - an activity that could be used to create fissile warhead material.

The United States and allied countries were seeking Iranian agreement to a draft plan proposed last week by International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei at talks grouping negotiators from Iran, the United States, Russia and France.

One of the negotiators told The Associated Press that the draft would commit Iran to delivering 70 percent of its low-enriched uranium to Russia in one shipment for further enrichment and conversion into fuel for a Tehran research reactor.

Shortly after the IAEA announced yesterday that Iran had provided an initial response to the draft, U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said "the United States needs further clarification and I think its also fair to say that we need a formal response from Iran."

But a Western diplomat familiar with the Iran offer suggested that the Islamic Republic had rejected the main thrust of the offer - shipping out most of its stockpile - and was instead proposing to further enrich it inside Iran under IAEA supervision.

Ahmadinejad insisted his country and the West were working more tightly together on nuclear cooperation than ever before.