“Iran and Russia have had agreements on producing nuclear medicine, under which a Russian-made radioisotope sample will be sent to Iran for testing and if we find it up to our standards we will place a large order,” Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi said on Friday.
He added that Iran is planning to manufacture up to over 20 forms of nuclear medicine and “if the Tehran reactor works permanently, we will be in a better position to meet national demand.”
Salehi told Fars News Agency that Moscow had proven a reliable partner in nuclear medicine, hinting at a controversial decision by the Kremlin to renege on a deal to deliver S-300 defense systems to Iran.
He reiterated Iran’s willingness to restart negotiations with the UN nuclear agency, Russia, France and the US.
Salehi went on to stress that if the Vienna group continues to give Iran’s trust-building efforts cold-shoulder, Tehran will provide fuel for its medical research reactor by September 2011.
The Iranian official also announced plans for publishing Persian-language course books on nuclear energy for “associate and graduate students.”
Israel and its Western allies accuse Iran of following a military nuclear program — a charge which Iranian officials refute, stressing that Tehran is only seeking the peaceful applications of nuclear energy.
On May 17, Iran, Turkey and Brazil signed a landmark nuclear fuel swap declaration under which Iran announced readiness to exchange 1,200 kg of its low-enriched uranium on Turkish soil with fuel for a medical research reactor.
Three weeks later the UN Security Council imposed a new round of US-engineered sanctions resolution against Iran’s military and financial sectors.
Earlier on Friday, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle stressed that the time was right to restart talks aimed at resolving the standoff over Iran’s nuclear program.
“Following the cautious signals for talks coming from Iran, what’s important now is to quickly start serious and constructive talks,” Reuters quoted Westerwelle as saying on Friday.
Press TV