Sputnik- Russia and Iran have agreed a roadmap for joint production of nuclear fuel, Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran�s Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI) said Saturday in an interview with a local news agency.
MOSCOW, February 25 (Sputnik)�� It took the countries over�two years to�work out�the agreement, Salehi added.
"Joint fuel production by�Russia and Iran was one of�the most useful topics that had been discussed during�nuclear talks [with Moscow] and eventually finalized. We said we needed Russia�s assistance in�this sphere," Salehi told ISNA.
The roadmap for�cooperation was drafted by�AEOI deputy chief Behrouz Kamalvandi during�his visit to�Moscow last January.
Moreover, Iran wants to�buy 950 tonnes of�concentrated uranium ore, known as�yellow cake, from�Kazakhstan in�the next three years, Salehi said.
"Near[ly] 650 tons of�the yellow cake shipment will arrive in�Tehran directly in�two batches of�shipment during�two years. The remaining 300 tons of�this shipment will arrive in�Tehran over�the third year," Salehi said in�an interview with�ISNA.
The head of�the Atomic Energy Organization of�Iran added that concentrate from�the last shipment would be converted to�URANIUM hexafluoride, a type of�gas used to�enrich uranium, and sold back to�Kazakhstan.
The request is being reviewed by�a committee that oversees the implementation of�the Joint Comprehensive Plan of�Action (JCPOA). The deal was agreed by�Tehran and six world powers in�July 2015 and saw Iran scale down�its nuclear activities in�exchange for�sanctions relief.