**Russia, France and the US are to hold talks with Iran to try to finalise an agreement on sending Iranian uranium abroad for enrichment.**Iran agreed in principle to have some uranium shipped out of the country at talks in Geneva earlier this month.
Monday’s meeting in Vienna, hosted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is seen as a test of the diplomatic process now under way.
Western powers say Iran is seeking a nuclear weapon, a charge Iran denies.
It says its nuclear programme is for purely civilian, peaceful purposes.
Under the arrangement western negotiators say was reached in Geneva, Russia and France would treat low-enriched Iranian uranium and turn it into fuel rods for a research reactor in Tehran.
BBC Tehran correspondent Jon Leyne reports from London that in theory this is a deal that could suit everyone.
Iran would have the fuel it needs, tacit acknowledgement of its right to enrich uranium, and no new sanctions, while the West would get a guarantee that Iran’s existing stockpile will not be diverted to make nuclear bombs.
But the talks in Vienna have many details to resolve, our correspondent says, and it is still unclear that Iran is willing to see the uranium it has already enriched taken out of its control.
Abolfazl Zohrehvand, an aide to Iran’s lead nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, was quoted as saying that under the current proposal, only enrichment above 5% would be done outside Iran.
“The importance of this is that Iran will retain the techniques and technology of enrichment… and we will keep our sites and research centre,” he said, according to the Irna news agency.
“It is possible that in certain circumstances we will need uranium enriched to 63%, which we will buy under the supervision of the IAEA or indeed we will do the enriching ourselves.”
Last month, the revelation of a second uranium enrichment plant in Iran further raised Western fears that Iran was trying to develop nuclear weapons.
The Iranian government has said it will allow IAEA inspectors into the site, thought to be near Qom.
The Iranian media has reported that the talks in Vienna could run into Tuesday.