Vienna - Multilateral talks on sending Iran's nuclear fuel abroad for processing started in Vienna on Monday, amid warnings from Tehran it would enrich uranium beyond levels needed for power generation if the negotiations fail. The talks between Iran, Russia, France, the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) were also overshadowed by the deadly attacks on Iranian Revolutionary Guards on Sunday, for which the Guards' commander has blamed not only Pakistan, but also the US and Britain.
While the US was represented at a high level by Deptuy Energy Secretary Daniel Poneman, Iran sent its ambassador at the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh. The French and Russian delegations were headed by senior officials.
Western diplomats have said the scheme to export most of Iran's enriched uranium to Russia and France, in order to enrich it to a higher level and send it back to Tehran would be an important confidence-building measure that would help push along wider-ranging nuclear talks with Iran that are planned before the end of the month.
Iranian Atomic Organization spokesman Ali Shirzadian said in Tehran that if the deal failed, Iran would carry out this work itself.
The spokesman made it clear that, despite the planned deal, Iran would not suspend its enrichment plant at Natanz, the official news agency IRNA reported.
Western countries have agreed to negotiate with Iran even though it has not fulfilled the UN Security Council's standing demand to halt uranium enrichment.
Low-enriched uranium currently produced in Natanz can be used to fuel nuclear power reactors. At increasing levels of enrichment, it can be used for medical reactors or atomic weapons, but Iran denies it has any such military intentions.
The Vienna talks follow up on a general agreement on the fuel export-import scheme agreed to by Iran and world powers in Geneva on October 1.
A diplomat said last week that the aim was to get Iran to send the 1,200 kilogrammes of uranium to Russia by the end of the year in one shipment.
After further enrichment there, the resulting material would be processed into 116 kilogrammes of actual fuel in France and returned to Iran before the end of 2010.
Following the Vienna talks, Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US are planning to continue negotiations with Iran over improving relations with Tehran in return for concessions on the nuclear issue.
