Vienna - International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei reacted sceptically to Iranian counterproposals to a multinational nuclear fuel deal on Wednesday and indicated he does not see a need to change the agreement drafted by the IAEA. Reacting to the idea voiced by leaders in Tehran to directly swap Iranian uranium for foreign-made nuclear fuel, ElBaradei stuck to his concept of shipping out Iran's material first.
"I don't think that is an option, because the whole purpose of the deal is to defuse the crisis," he told reporters in Vienna.
Responding to Iranian calls for more guarantees to make sure the country really receives the fuel for a medical-purpose reactor in Tehran, ElBaradei said: "I don't see, frankly, what additional guarantees we can provide."
But he said he was open to hearing from Tehran what guarantees Iran has in mind, in addition to the ones provided by the IAEA, Russia and the United States.
Iran has so far not officially replied to the proposed nuclear agreement, and Iranian politcians have been sending mixed but mostly negative signals.
