Iran’s uranium enrichment offer should be accepted by USA

“These measures set out a foundation for diplomatic efforts focusing on establishing enhanced safeguards on Iran,” according to Vaez. He added that he thinks there is still “plenty of time” to strike a diplomatic accord.

U.S. Should Accept Iran’s Latest Uranium Enrichment Offer, Experts Say, Oct. 7, 2011 By Martin Matishak Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The United States should accept Iran’s offer to halt its production of higher-enriched uranium if provided equivalent material by Western powers as the first step in breaking the diplomatic standoff between the two countries, a new report by a pair of nonproliferation experts argues (seeGSN, Oct. 5).

“The reality is [Iran’s] enrichment program will continue,” Charles Ferguson, president of the Federation of American Scientists, said on Thursday at a rollout discussion of a study that details a vision for how Washington and Tehran, and the rest of international community, can achieve an Iranian nuclear program that is acceptable to all sides.

“Let’s see if we can keep it relatively limited. Let’s see it we can get additional means of monitoring and safeguard the program,” said Ferguson, who co-authored the report with Ali Vaez, FAS fellow for science and technology and director of the federation’s Iran Project.

Iran last year began producing 20 percent-enriched uranium, moving the Middle East nation one step closer to being able to manufacture nuclear-weapon material, which must be refined to roughly 90 percent. Tehran has long maintained its atomic aspirations are strictly peaceful and that the 20-percent enriched uranium is intended to fuel an aging medical research reactor.

An IAEA safeguards report on Iran released last month indicated the nation has failed to substantively address fears it is pursuing a nuclear-weapon capability, according to Washington and its allies.

Speaking to the U.N. General Assembly last month, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced his country would suspend production of 20 percent-enriched uranium in exchange for material refined to the same level from the West. He reaffirmed the pledge this week.

“If they give us the 20 percent(-enriched) fuel, we will immediately halt 20 percent (enrichment),” Ahmadinejad told Iranian state television on Tuesday.

The Iranian offer has been greeted coolly by the Obama administration….

The latest proposal is different from previous failed fuel swap plans because it “is not an olive branch. This is an act of necessity,” Vaez said at the round-table discussion. “They’re running out of fuel.”

“This is a great opportunity for the United States and the West to be humanitarians and really reach out to the Iranian people,” added Ferguson, noting than an estimated 850,000 citizens rely on medical isotopes produced by the Tehran-based reactor for their cancer treatments.

He said the United States and its allies should provide Iran with 50 kilograms of low-enriched fuel, less than half of the smallest amount — 130 kilograms — that with additional refining could be used to make an atomic bomb. Right now Iran has about 70 kilograms of 20-percent enriched uranium, according to Ferguson.

The 46-page report lays out a series of policy recommendations the United States and Iran, as well as other stakeholders such as Russia, the U.N. Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency, each could take to boost confidence that the scope of Iran’s nuclear effort is purely peaceful.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Vaez broke the list of steps into different themes, beginning with confidence-building measures…..

http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20111007_3455.php