Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said that Iran hopes to replace Russian fuel for its Bushehr nuclear power plant with domestic uranium..
"We had talks with Rosatom and we hope that as part of our cooperation, based on the plans and contracts we will sign, we will be able to do this and start using Iranian fuel in the reactor in Bushehr", Mohammad Eslami was quoted Saturday by Russia's state-owned Sputnik as saying.
Asked whether Iran will continue to enrich uranium beyond 60 percent if the country does not return to the 2015 nuclear deal and sanctions are not lifted, Eslami said "no," noting that the enrichment levels were related to the needs of the country.
"Our targets related to enriching uranium are meeting our industrial and production needs... and those of our people," he was quoted as saying.
Eslami was speaking ahead of the resumption on Monday of talks in Vienna aimed at reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
The 2015 deal offered Iran relief from sanctions in return for curbs on its nuclear program, but was derailed in 2018 when the US unilaterally withdrew under then president Donald Trump.
Other parties to the deal have taken part in the talks, but the United States has only engaged indirectly.
While the US and its Western allies have repeatedly called on Iran to offer assurances on its nuclear program, Tehran has insisted sanctions must be lifted first.
