Iran Heads for Nuclear Row

Iran yesterday proposed changes to a UN-drafted nuclear fuel deal, making demands that appeared to challenge the basis of the agreement with the United States, France and Russia, Iranian media said.

The Iranian pro-government daily Javan said in an unsourced report that Iran wanted shipments of low-enriched uranium (LEU) - which will be converted abroad into fuel for a Tehran research reactor - to take place in stages, not in a single consignment as the agreement prescribed.

The conditions were probably unacceptable for Western powers, which suspect the Islamic Republic covertly seeks nuclear arms capability, despite Tehran's denials.