Jerusalem - Issuing the first Israeli high-level reaction to a draft proposal to have Iran ship its uranium abroad for enrichment, Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said Thursday night that Tehran has to completely stop enriching uranium. The draft plan, if signed, would set the Iranian nuclear programme back about 12 months, but would also lend legitimacy to Iran's uranium enrichment for civilian purposes, contrary to the understanding of those pushing for the deal, he told a conference in Jerusalem.
"What is required is a halt to enrichment in Iran, not just an export of the enriched material to build fuel rods," he told a conference in Jerusalem.
According to the draft agreement, Iran is to ship 1,200 kilograms of low-enriched uranium (3.5 per cent) to Russia before the end of the year for further enrichment (20 per cent), to be used as fuel in Iran's medical-purpose reactor in Tehran.
A three-day meeting between Iran, Russia, France and the United States ended Wednesday in Vienna with no final agreement, but with a proposal to be mulled by the four sides until Friday.
