TEHRAN, January 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's proposal to form a joint venture to enrich uranium on Russian territory for Iran's nuclear energy program could bring positive results, an Iranian official said Sunday.
"The Russian plan could be positive," spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry Hamid Reza Asefi said. "Russia's proposal should be considered."
The diplomat praised the results of the recent talks in Moscow between Russian officials and Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani.
"The talks in Moscow were positive and we managed to clarify certain details of Russia's proposal," Asefi said, adding that the next round of talks on the proposal would be held in Moscow on February 16.
Russia, which is building an $800-million power plant in Iran, has defended the country's right to nuclear energy, but expressed its "disappointment" with Tehran's decision earlier in January to end a two-year moratorium on nuclear research and resume activity at its nuclear facilities.
Some countries, led by the U.S., suspect Tehran of pursuing a secret weapons program and have been pushing the referral of the Iranian nuclear file to the UN Security Council, which has the power to impose sanctions on the Islamic Republic if it is found to have been in breach of its international commitments. Iran has consistently stated that it only wants nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
In a move seen as compromise to diffuse tensions around the situation, Moscow has offered to conduct uranium enrichment for Iran on Russian territory.
