Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says there is “no problem” in shipping the country’s uranium stocks abroad. The statement appears to contradict his previous position and that of leading Iranian officials.

Listen to an interview with Iran expert Richard Dalton

Secret nuclear weapons
Until now Iran has insisted that it has the right to enrich its own nuclear material for use in its energy programme. However, world powers including the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France and Germany are concerned that Iran is secretly developing nuclear weapons.

The current UN-brokered deal on the table proposes taking 70 percent of Iran’s low enriched uranium and  processing it as fuel for use in a genuine energy programme.

Former British Ambassador to Iran, Richard Dalton, says President Ahmadinejad’s words should be treated with caution.

“We don’t know if it is an about-turn. Maybe he is just confirming that he stands by his original view which was overruled back in October by the Supreme Leader and others.”

Dalton says the question is whether Ahmadinejad has got authority from the Supreme Leader to revive discussion of the original arrangement which his negotiators approved in principle.

“Is he prepared to discuss removal of Iran’s LEU (low enriched uranium) in its entirety as proposed in the agreement, in advance of delivery of the fuel element?” 

Tougher sanctions
Officials from the four Western powers want the United Nations to impose tougher sanctions on Iran including blacklisting Iran’s central bank and firms linked to the Revolutionary Guard. They believe that the bank is a key player in financing Tehran’s nuclear and missile industries.

However, China and Russia are yet to be convinced.

Rocket launch
Meanwhile, Iran has test fired a domestic rocket to carry satellites into orbit.  Some fear that the same technology could be used to launch a nuclear missile.