TEHRAN, Nov 12: Iran on Saturday insisted upon its right to enrich its own uranium, rebuffing an EU proposal that Russia should perform the sensitive atomic fuel work to allay fears Tehran is seeking atomic arms.

Iran is facing referral to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions after failing to convince the international community its atomic ambitions are entirely peaceful.

“Iran’s nuclear fuel must be produced inside the country,” Iranian nuclear chief Gholamreza Aghazadeh told reporters in Tehran after meeting Igor Ivanov, Secretary of Russia’s Security Council.

Britain, France and Germany have drafted a proposal offering Iran the chance to transfer its uranium enrichment activities to Russia, an EU diplomat told Reuters on Friday.

Diplomats say Iran could soothe international fears its uranium is intended for use in warheads by handing over the enrichment process to Russia.

One EU diplomat said that if Iran insisted on processing uranium be seen as an admission that it wants nuclear weapons and not a peaceful nuclear energy programme since processing in Russia would be much cheaper and less controversial.

Iran insists it has every right to enrich the uranium it mines in its central deserts. Tehran argues the enriched uranium is needed only to run power stations. —Reuters