N. Chief: Iran ready to export N. services to Africa

Iran's top nuclear official announced Tehran's preparedness to export nuclear services to the friendly countries, specially the African nations. "At present we are capable of exporting nuclear services to the friendly countries in Africa which own considerable uranium resources," Director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Fereidoon Abbasi Davani told reporters in the Southern port city of Bushehr on Saturday. Noting that Iran's name has already been registered as an exporter of nuclear parts to the other countries, he also underlined Tehran's readiness to export heavy water byproducts. Abbasi Davani had also announced a few months ago that Iran was ready to export enriched uranium, build uranium enrichment plants abroad and advise countries importing nuclear power plants on how to write contracts protecting their rights. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety in Vienna in June, Abbasi Davani said Iran is ready to export uranium enrichment facilities and enriched uranium to those countries which are a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and only under IAEA supervision. Abbasi Davani said that Iran does not currently have plans to export enriched uranium, but plans to use its domestic production for its own needs. "But if a country party to the NPT needs enriched material, we are ready to provide it, through IAEA and with IAEA verification" of peaceful use, the AEOI head said. Abbasi Davani said he had "no specific country in mind." But he said Iran has experience and has managed to build up nuclear technology expertise "despite 30 years of sanctions." He said countries with uranium should take Iran's experience into account and "not sell their natural resources so cheaply," that is, they should sell enriched material instead of natural uranium.