Iran's chief nuclear negotiator says the West needs to provide Tehran with "concrete" fuel supply guarantees or the country will consider other options.

Saeed Jalili told reporters on Tuesday that the fuel supply for Tehran's reactor was still a major concern for Iran, adding that the Islamic Republic would consider other options should the West fail to offer the country tangible guarantees.

"If concrete guarantees are not provided, we have other options which we will move forward with."

The top nuclear official added that the fuel supply for Tehran's reactor was not a political issue and had nothing to do with Iran's negotiations with the P5+1.

The issue is neither technical nor legal but merely a "commercial" one, Jalili stressed. He said that "based on its rights" Iran made a request to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to provide the required fuel for the medical reactor.
Jalili said Iran had other fuel supply options if it did not receive guarantees. He added that Western failure to respect the Iranian demands would only add to Iran's "distrust" for the West.

He also said that Iran was prepared to resume talks with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany "based on its package of proposals".

According to Jalili, the negotiations were expected to resume but an "internal" disagreement among the six major powers had hampered the talks.

The mid-October nuclear proposal, discussed in Vienna, envisages Iran shipping out most of its low-enriched uranium (LEU) to be further enriched and returned to the country for the Tehran medical research reactor.

Iran has sought modifications to the draft proposal, arguing that a guarantee for the return of the fuel is its major concern.

The US says no alterations will be made to the proposal and insists that Iran accepts it unchanged.

AR/HGH