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Summary
Iran was considering a new offer from Russia, the United States and France on nuclear fuel enrichment, an Iranian news agency reported.Different countries have contacted Iran, and we are reviewing their offers, Ali Akbar Salehi, who heads Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, told ILNA, referring to the three members of the six world powers negotiating with Iran over its nuclear programme.However, French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero denied that any new proposal had been made, at least on the part of France.Mr Salehi should know that the only proposal was that presented last October by the IAEA, which has not so far received any satisfactory response, a foreign news agency quoted Valero as saying.Under a plan drawn up last October by the UN nuclear watchdog and approved by the Iran Six, the Islamic Republic was to ship out its low-enriched uranium to Russia for further enrichment and subsequently send it to France where it would be made into fuel rods.Tehran stalled and then rejected the plan, suggesting it could consider a simultaneous swap of its low-enriched uranium for 20%-enriched uranium, but that the exchange should be simultaneous and would have to take place on its own territory.Iran started the production of 20% enriched uranium last Tuesday in the presence of the head of Iran's nuclear agency and IAEA officials.
