Iran says nuclear fuel swap possible

BEIRUT – In comments that could signal either a change of course or more diplomatic maneuvering, Iran’s president said Tuesday that Tehran would be willing to ship enriched uranium abroad “for four or five months” in exchange for fuel for a Tehran medical reactor.

In a televised interview, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said “there is no problem” with sending an unspecified amount of Iran’s nuclear fuel abroad as part of a United Nations-backed plan to ease concern about the Islamic Republic’s nuclear research program.

He said Iran would “sign a contract” to give up uranium it has enriched to 3.5 percent in exchange for uranium enriched to 20 percent for the ailing Tehran medical reactor. “If we allow them to take it, there is no problem,” he said.

Until now, Iranian officials had said they wanted a simultaneous exchange of nuclear fuel carried out on Iran’s soil, a condition described as impossible by the plan’s main backers, the International Atomic Energy Agency, France, Russia and the United States. They said it would take a year to transfer the nuclear fuel to Russia, further refine it and take it to France to be prepared for the medical reactor.

In the same televised interview, Ahmadinejad said Iran might be willing to exchange American prisoners Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Joshua Fattal for Iranians held in U.S. prisons.

The three Americans were arrested and jailed by Iranian authorities six months ago after they allegedly crossed into Iran while hiking near the Iran-Iraq border.