Iran to Launch 3 New Satellites with More Powerful Launchers

In this undated photo provided by the Iranian Defense Ministry on Friday, June 17, 2011, technicians work on a locally manufactured satellite called Rasad. 

Image courtesy Iranian Defense Ministry.

Iran is preparing to launch three new locally made satellites to the orbit, Fars News Agency reported citing the Deputy Head of the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) Hamid Fazeli.

Tehran is preparing to orbit three new home-made satellites, called Zafar (Triumph), Tolou (Sunrise) and Pars, from more powerful launchers and on the back of bigger carriers in the near future, an official announced on Saturday. 

Credit: Fars News Agency

Deputy Head of Iran Space Agency (ISA) Hamid Fazeli made the announcement on the sidelines of a ceremony at the start of the World Space Week in Tehran today.

"Launching the under-construction satellites, including Sharifsat and Nahid, are also among the short-term plans of the ISA," he added.

Also, Iranian Vice-President for Executive Affairs Mohammad Shariatmadari told reporters in the same ceremony that Iran hopes that its Sharifsat satellite would be sent into orbit this year.

Fazeli had announced in May that Iran plans to launch three home-made monitoring satellites into orbit in the next Iranian calendar year (March 2015-March 2016).

"Zafar, Tolou and AUT Sat will be sent into space onboard the Simorq satellite carrier," he said.

Fazeli noted that the satellites would transmit images of the Earth's surface to ground stations.

Zafar will be sent into a geostationary orbit, which is a circular orbit around 36,000 kilometers (22,320 miles) above the Earth's equator.

The satellite will reportedly have a lifespan of one year and six months, and will capture images and transmit them to stations on earth.

Tolou satellite will also carry out remote sensing and topography missions, and will travel in an orbit of 500 kilometers above from the Earth’s equator.

Moreover, AUT Sat, developed by Iranian scientists at Amir Kabir University of Technology, is a monitoring and telecommunications satellite, which weighs 100 kilograms. It is expected to have a lifespan of two years.

Iran unveils new home-made communication satellites

This file photo released June 16, 2011, shows launching the Safir, or Ambassador, satellite carrier, which carries Iran's Rasad, or Observation, satellite into earth orbit. Credit: Alalam news

Iran on Monday unveiled two domestically-made communication satellites, one to bolster its wireless connections and the other capable of taking high-resolution pictures, media reported.

Iran's space programme has prompted concern among Western governments, which fear Tehran is trying to master the technology required to deliver a nuclear warhead.

The Islamic republic insists that its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful and denies its space programme is linked in any way to its disputed nuclear ambitions.

The state-run IRNA news agency named the two satellites as Khalije Fars (Persian Gulf) and Tadbir (wisdom) and said they were built by scientists at local universities.

"Khalije Fars, designed and manufactured by researchers at Malek Ashtar University, is a small satellite which provides secure satellite wireless connections at national or regional scope," IRNA said.

"Tadbir was built by Tehran's University of Science and Industry and is capable of conducting photographic assignments with a resolution of 100 meters (yards)," the agency added.

The deputy head of Iran's space agency, Hamid Fazeli, meanwhile told Fars news agency that the Islamic republic will launch a satellite into orbit by the end of the Iranian year, which ends on March 21.

Fazeli said that Tadbir is among a number of satellites that are ready to be launched into space. He did not give further details.

In December, Iran said that it had safely returned a monkey to Earth after blasting it into space in the second such launch.

An earlier attempt had failed in September 2011.

Iran has already launched three satellites into space since 2009 and plans to send a human into orbit by 2020.

The Curious Case of the Wrong Monkey - Iran

Iran's announcement that it had successfully sent a monkey into space stirred questions on the Internet.

Curious people pointed to differences between official images of the primate before takeoff and after landing.

On January 28, official Iranian media published pictures of a monkey named Pishgam (Pioneer) prior to the launch.

The animal had light grey fur and a red mole above its right eye.

But later, the ISNA news agency released photos taken during presenting the monkey to the press after its landing which showed a darker fur and no mole.

These differences have been pointed out by Western media, which have questioned the success of the monkey space mission. A previous attempt by Iran, to send a primate into space, failed in 2011.

On Facebook, a comment underneath the monkey's pictures reads: the monkey "went into space and met a doctor who removed its mole," an ironic reference to some Iranians passion for cosmetic surgery (and misleading information regarding their scientific and aerospace capabilities).

Iranian authorities did not directly respond to these questions.

Iran has successfully launched a live monkey into Earth Orbit

A view of an observatory at the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) in Mahdasht, about 60 km west of Tehran.

REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi 

Iran has successfully launched a live monkey into space, the Fars news agency reported on Monday, lauding it as an advance in a missile and space program that has alarmed the West and Israel.

There was no independent confirmation of the report and there have been no announcements by Western powers of any Iranian launch late last week.

Fars said the monkey was launched into space on a Kavoshgar rocket. The rocket reached a height of more than 120 kilometers and "returned its shipment intact", Fars reported.
Iran announced plans in 2011 to send a monkey into space, but that attempt was reported to have failed.

Western countries are concerned the long-range ballistic technology used to propel Iranian satellites into orbit could be used to launch atomic warheads. Tehran denies such suggestions and says its nuclear work is purely peaceful.

Iran's Kavoshgar-1 lifts off for space - YouTube

Video of Iran’s Kavoshgar-1 lifts off for space.

FARS: Iran Fails Attempt to Launch Monkey Into Space

Safir-2 rocket launch in February 2009

An Iranian attempt to launch a rocket carrying a live monkey into space in September has failed.

The mission, announced last summer in the website of the Iranian Space Agency, consisted in launching a capsule with a life support system and reentry capability on top of a Kavoshgar-5 rocket to an altitude of 120 kilometers for a 20-minute sub-orbital flight.

Deputy Science Minister Mohammad Mehdinejad-Nouri has reportedly commented: ”The Kavoshgar-5 rocket carrying a capsule with a live animal (a monkey) was launched during Shahrivar (Note: Shahrivar is an Iranian calendar month spanning August 23 to September 22). However, the launch was not publicised as all of its anticipated objectives were not accomplished.”

The launch of a live animal into space was considered “strategic, and a priority,” by the Iranian government.

In 2010, the country launched a Kavoshgar-3 rocket carrying a rat, two turtles and a worm into space.

According Hamid Fazeli, head of Iran’s Space Organisation, the plan to fly live monkeys has been put on hold indefinitely: ”One cannot give a set date for this project and as soon as our nation’s scientists announce the readiness (of the project) it will be announced,” he said.

The Iranian republic, which put a satellite into orbit successfully in 2009, is pursuing an ambitious space program, which poses concerns in the Western world for possible links to the development of nuclear capable ballistic missiles.

Iran to launch NAVID research /spy satellite

Iran is going to launch domestically- built Navid satellite by Safir satellite launcher by the end of March 2012, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported on Sunday.

Navid (promise) is a research satellite and is currently undergoing pre-launch tests, said the report without further details.

In June, Iran put the Rasad (surveillance) satellite in the orbit to render images to the country.

Iran put a satellite into orbit in 2009 and sent some small animals into space in 2010. It plans to send man into space by 2020.

Rassad-1: Iran to send new satellite into space

Rassad-1 (Observation-1) could revolve 15 times around the Earth every 24 hours with a two-month life cycle.

Chancellor of Iran's Sharif University Reza Roustazad said Monday that Iran plans to launch a new domestically-manufactured satellite dubbed Sharif in the near future, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.

"Industrial Sharif University's satellite will be the last satellite designed by university students, which will be launched into space," Roustazad was quoted as saying.

The Sharif satellite, described by officials as the country's best, will be sent into space when it is capable of orbiting 36, 000 kilometers above the Earth's surface, he said.

The reason why Iran's satellites cannot stay in space for a long time is that they cannot orbit the Earth in an altitude upper than 36,000 kilometers above the Earth's surface, he said according to the report.

Efforts should be made to increase the launch power of satellites in order to let it stay longer in space, he added.

In July, Iran announced that it successfully launched its Rassad-1 satellite into space by the Safir rocket and put into orbit 260 kilometers above the Earth.

Rassad-1 (Observation-1) could revolve 15 times around the Earth every 24 hours with a two-month life cycle.

Iran, which has outlined an ambitious space programme in the face of Western concerns, put a satellite into orbit in 2009 and sent small animals into space in 2010.

Western powers fear that Tehran could develop a missile capability under cover of its space programme which could be used to deliver nuclear warheads.

Iran denied that it has any ambition to develop an atomic bomb and insisted that both its space and nuclear programmes are entirely peaceful.

Originally scheduled to launch in August 2010, Rassad was constructed by Malek Ashtar University in Tehran, which is linked to Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards.

ESA ENVISAT Image: Qeshm Island, Jewel of the Persian Gulf

This Envisat image features the largest island in the Persian Gulf: Iran’s Qeshm Island.

This long thin island lies just a few kilometres off the Iranian coast near the narrow Strait of Hormuz.

The Straits of Hormuz separate the Persian Gulf to the west and the Gulf of Oman to the southeast.

Qeshm Island harbours the Hara Biosphere Reserve, the largest stretch of mangrove forest along the Persian Gulf shoreline.

This network of shallow waterways and forest can be seen clearly in the image, between Qeshm Island and the mainland.

The image was created by combining three Envisat radar images from 2009 (7 May, 29 October and 3 December) over the same area. The colours result from changes in the surface between acquisitions.

Credits: ESA

Iran satellite is step towards Monkey and human space flight

On 15 June, Iran put its second ever satellite, Rasad-1, into orbit 260 kilometres above Earth. The nation hopes to use the experience to launch a monkey into space this year and, by 2019, a human. The worry is that such rockets could also be used to fire missiles at targets on Earth.

At 15 kilograms, Rasad-1 may be tiny, but it is a boost to Iran's space capabilities, says Brian Weeden of the Secure World Foundation think tank, headquartered in Washington DC.

"People wondered after the first time if they just got lucky," he says. "Now that they've put two satellites up there, that indicates perhaps it wasn't a fluke the first time. It demonstrates that their rocket technology is pretty good."

Monkey on-boardRasad-1 is reportedly taking low-resolution images of Earth. But its launch seems intended mainly to give the country more experience in launching and operating satellites.

It is one step forward in what looks like an ambitious space plan, says Laura Grego of the Union of Concerned Scientists in Cambridge, Massachusetts. "They have this pretty ambitious list of six or seven satellites over the next three years," she says.

At least one of them is expected to carry an animal on board. Iran's state-run television company says the country will launch a monkey into orbit on a one-way trip "later this year". It also says Iran plans to launch an astronaut into space by 2019.

"The monkey seems perfectly plausible," Weeden says. Flying and safely returning a human to Earth by 2019 is more of a stretch, but it might be possible for Iran if it is a suborbital hop rather than a more challenging orbital flight, he says.

ITU Implores Iran To Stop Jamming EutelSat

The global regulator of satellite orbital slot and broadcast frequencies asked Iran to track down the source of intentional jamming of Eutelsat satellite signals that carry news broadcasts into Iran.

In a delicately worded statement apparently designed not to antagonize Iranian authorities, the Geneva-based International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said it accepted the findings of the French National Frequencies Agency concluding that the interference to Eutelsat signals, particularly those from the BBC reporting on Iranian politics, is coming from Iranian territory.

The French agency, on behalf of Paris-based Eutelsat, has written to Iran on multiple occasions in the past year asking that the interference cease. The ITU Radio Regulations Board also contacted Iran, whose administration responded that it did not know the source of the signal jamming, which has interfered with broadcasts from Eutelsat satellites located at four different orbital slots.

The BBC has moved its BBC Persian news broadcasts from one satellite to another in an attempt to find an orbital slot that permits broadcasts into Iran but makes it difficult for Iran-based jammers to interfere with the signal.

The ITU’s Radio Regulations Board concluded that “the interfering signals appear to be of a nature” that is forbidden under ITU rules and is originating in Iran “based on the measurements provided by the administration of France, and having confidence in the measurement techniques.”

The ITU, a United Nations affiliate, has little power to enforce its rulings. It depends on member nations to respect the regulations as a matter of good faith in the general interest of maximizing the use of the radio spectrum and satellite orbital positions.

The ITU said it “urged the administration of Iran to continue its effort in locating the source of interference and to eliminate it as a matter of the highest priority.” It said it has asked the French administration and its own Radiocommunication Bureau “to assist the administration of Iran in identifying the source of the interference.”

Eutelsat has been telling French authorities for months about the interference, and the 27-nation European Union has urged Iran to stop it.

ESA - Observing the Earth from Space: Iran's Neyriz Lakes

ESA - Observing the Earth from Space: Iran's Neyriz Lakes - images

Lakes Bakhtegan (centre) and Tashk (top), together known as the Neyriz Lakes, in the Fars Province in southern Iran are featured in this image acquired by ALOS, Japan's four-tonne Earth observation satellite, on 6 March 2009 with its Advanced Visible and Near Infrared Radiometer type-2 (AVNIR-2) instrument, which is designed to chart land cover and vegetation in visible and near infrared spectral bands with a resolution of 10 m. ESA is supporting ALOS as a Third Party Mission, which means ESA utilises its multi-mission European ground infrastructure and expertise to acquire, process and distribute data from the satellite to its wide user community.

Credits: JAXA, ESA

Taiwan on the Nuclear Watch List

Taiwan has placed a local company on a watch list after the firm sold specialised equipment to Iran, an official said on Wednesday.

"The company is on an observation list, which means it must obtain prior export permits, after it imported 108 pressure sensors from Europe and sold them to Iran in March 2008," said an official at the Bureau of Foreign Trade.

Pressure sensors can measure altitudes and are therefore used in aircraft and rockets.

The official, who declined to identify the company, stressed that the device is neither high-tech nor restricted, rejecting media reports that it could be used to make nuclear weapons.

Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper reported last month that Iran had tried unsuccessfully to buy the device for more than a year from European and American firms before turning to a Taiwanese company.

UN officials are investigating whether the European companies conducted proper checks of end-user certificates for the equipment, the paper said.

The international community has warned Iran to stop construction of its second uranium enrichment plant, wary that it is trying to develop a nuclear bomb.

Iran rejects the charges and says it wants to build up a civil energy programme.

NASA is feeling the pinch in its plutonium supplies.

Plutonium-238's high heat-production rate and 89-year half-life makes it a good power source for long space missions (Image: US Department of Energy)

Many spacecraft power units are powered by the radioactive decay of plutonium-238, but the US no longer produces the material. Instead, NASA relies on its shrinking stockpile, topped up with purchases from Russia, who have links with Iran and China.

Previous estimates suggested the decline would not affect solar-system exploration until after 2020, but NASA is already tightening its belt. Candidates for NASA's next "New Frontiers" mission, which aims to launch an exploratory spacecraft by 2018, will not be allowed to rely on plutonium for power, effectively limiting the candidate probes to solar power only.

That puts a number of destinations off-limits, says Jim Green, head of NASA's planetary science division. These include targets beyond Jupiter or even darkened regions closer to the sun, like the polar regions of Mars. "Without the plutonium, there's just a huge dimension of science we're going to be missing," Green told New Scientist.

NASA is also relying on Russia for some plutonium-238 that it needs for its next major mission to the outer solar system – to explore Jupiter and its moon Europa. The US Department of Energy is currently analysing what will be required to restart plutonium-238 production, but new fuel may not be ready in time for the mission to launch as planned in 2020.

China has recently bought into the lucrative uranium mining in Canada and South America, whilst Iran has a 'secret' agreement with Kazakhstan for uranium trading.

Iran to unveil new home-built satellite

Iran will unveil a new home-built satellite in February, a newspaper reported Thursday, amid Western concerns that Tehran is using its nuclear and space industries to develop atomic and ballistic weapons.

"The new generation of Iran's national satellite called Toloo (Dawn) will be unveiled in February," Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi was quoted as saying by the governmental Iran paper.

The satellite has been designed by Sa Iran, also known as Iran Electronics Industries, an affiliate company of the defence ministry, the report said.

"Needs of armed forces in operations are met with local and reliable equipment of the defence industries of this ministry," Vahidi added.

He gave no further details.

Iran's first home-built satellite, the Omid (Hope), was launched in February to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Islamic revolution.

The launch sent alarm bells ringing in the international community, which voiced concern over Iran's development of technology that could be used for military purposes.

The West suspects Iran of secretly trying to build an atomic bomb and fears the technology used to launch space rockets could be diverted into developing long-range ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

Tehran denies having military goals for its space programme or its nuclear drive.

Iran had earlier announced it was building seven new satellites, including three for high orbit positions.

In mid-December, the Islamic republic test-fired its Sejil 2 (Lethal Stone), which it described as a faster version of a medium-range missile that could allow it to strike Israel.

The defiant missile test came as major powers are mulling fresh sanctions against Tehran over its disputed nuclear enrichment program.

Russia tests 'Satan' class long-range missile ICBM

Russia has successfully test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), opting to extend the lifespan of its Soviet-era nuclear arsenal.

The 112-foot missile, capable of carrying 10 warheads, was fired from the Orenburg district on Russia's frontiers with Kazakhstan. It struck its target, 4,000 miles away, on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East, Russian news agencies reported.

"Pre-launch operations, the launch and flight went strictly according to plan," a spokesman for Russia's Strategic Missile Forces, Col. Vadim Koval, was quoted saying by the Interfax news agency.

"The test hit the intended target area on the Kamchatka peninsula with astounding accuracy."

The 22-ton RS-20V missile is known within NATO as the "Satan" and has a range of about 10,000 miles.

"The launch was carried out as part of experimental construction work aimed at confirming the flight characteristics of the RS-20V missile and to extend its life span to 23 years," Russia's Strategic Missile Forces said in a statement.

Military officials quoted by local media said the missile was not carrying a nuclear warhead and that the United States had been informed of the tests, in compliance with bilateral agreements requiring notification of the missile testing.

The RS-20V, which has been in operation for more than 21 years, is widely revered by experts as the world's most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile. Known as the Voyevoda, the missile was initially intended to be used for 15 years. By some accounts, Moscow wants to continue using the missiles until 2019.

"The extension of the lifespan of the Voyevoda to 25 years will allow us to extend its services by 10 years, Russia's Strategic Missile Forces said.

Senior military officials quoted by The Times of India said Russia was developing a new intercontinental ballistic missile and would gradually decommission older versions in order to ensure nuclear safety.

Earlier this month, Russia's new nuclear-capable missile test launch failed over the White Sea, creating an eerie blue swirl in the sky that provoked hundreds of UFO sightings over Norway.

The failed test was an embarrassment for the Russians, who are bent on bolstering their deterrent force.

The Bulava missile can carry up to 10 individually targeted nuclear warheads and has a range of 5,000 miles. It is a sea-based version of Russia's land-based ballistic missile, the Topol-M, which the military has been using since 2006.

Israel says Iran nuclear plant immune to conventional strike

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said on Monday that Iran's recently diclosed second uranium enrichment plant is "immune" to conventional bombing.

"The new site near Qom is meant for enrichment. What was revealed by the Iranians had been built over years and is located in bunkers that cannot be destroyed through a conventional attack," Barak told parliament's foreign affairs and defence committee.

Iran notified the UN nuclear watchdog in September that it was building a second enrichment plant near the central shrine city of Qom, after Washington accused it of covertly evading its notification responsibilities under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Confirmation of the construction work drew criticism not only from Western governments but also from the United Nations.

Enriched uranium can make the fuel for nuclear power plants but in highly extended form can also produce the fissile core of an atomic bomb.

Along with Western governments, Israel suspects Iran of seeking to develop a weapons capability under the guise of a civil nuclear programme, an accusation Tehran denies.

Along with its US ally, Israel, the region's sole if undeclared nuclear power, has refused to rule out a resort to military action to prevent Iran developing a bomb.

Barak said he feared Iran could develop a weapon by 2011.

"I believe that by early 2010 Iran will hold threshold technology (for building a bomb). That means that if it wanted, it could develop nuclear weapons within a year from obtaining threshold technology," a senior official quoted him as telling the parliamentary committee.

Iran Test-Fires Advanced Missile: Show of Strength

Iran successfully test-fired an improved version of a long-range Sejil 2 missile today, according to state television. The Sejil 2 has a longer range than the previously tested missiles, which could theoretically hit Israel and U.S. bases in the Gulf.

The tests came a day after the House of Representatives approved imposing sanctions on foreign companies that help Iran obtain gasoline. Meanwhile, the BBC makes it sound as though the missile test might have been a way to increase national pride on a day when Iran's judiciary hinted that leaders of the opposition might be arrested soon.

The judiciary chief announced the government has gathered enough evidence to support the contention that opposition leaders attempted to foment anti-government sentiments following the disputed presidential elections in June.

IRAN: Working on Final Component of Nuclear Bomb

The reactor building of Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, located 750 miles south of Tehran.

Confidential intelligence documents obtained by The Times of London show that Iran is working on testing a key final component of a nuclear bomb.

The notes, from Iran’s most sensitive military nuclear project, describe a four-year plan to test a neutron initiator, the component of a nuclear bomb that triggers an explosion. Foreign intelligence agencies date them to early 2007, four years after Iran was thought to have suspended its weapons program.

An Asian intelligence source last week confirmed to The Times that his country also believed that weapons work was being carried out as recently as 2007 — specifically, work on a neutron initiator.

The technical document describes the use of a neutron source, uranium deuteride, which independent experts confirm has no possible civilian or military use other than in a nuclear weapon. Uranium deuteride is the material used in Pakistan’s bomb, from where Iran obtained its blueprint.

"Although Iran might claim that this work is for civil purposes, there is no civil application," said David Albright, a physicist and president of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, which has analysed hundreds of pages of documents related to the Iranian programme. "This is a very strong indicator of weapons work."

The documents have been seen by intelligence agencies from several Western countries, including Britain. A senior source at the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that they had been passed to the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog.

A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokeswoman said yesterday: "We do not comment on intelligence, but our concerns about Iran’s nuclear program are clear. Obviously this document, if authentic, raises serious questions about Iran’s intentions."

Iran Agrees to Nuclear Fuel Swap - NYTimes.com

Iran Agrees to Nuclear Fuel Swap - NYTimes.com

Iran is ready to exchange the bulk of its stockpile of enriched uranium for nuclear fuel rods -- as proposed by the U.N. -- but according to its own mechanisms and timetable, the foreign minister said Saturday.

The minister's remarks come just days before an expected meeting between the U.S. and allies to discuss new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. The offer, however, falls far short of the conditions set by the international community.

Speaking to reporters at a regional security conference in Bahrain, Manochehr Mottaki said Iran agreed with a U.N. deal proposed in October in which up to 2,600 pounds (1,200 kilograms) of its uranium would be exchanged for fuel rods to power its research reactor.

''We accepted the proposal in principle,'' he said through a translator. ''We suggested in the first phase we give you 400 kilograms of 3.5 percent enriched uranium and you give us the equivalent in 20 percent uranium.''

Iran has about 3,300 pounds (1,500 kilograms) of low-enriched uranium and needs to refine to 20 percent to operate a research reactor that produces medical isotopes.

Uranium enriched at low levels can be used as fuel for nuclear energy, but when enriched to 90 percent and above, it can be used as material for a weapon. The United States and five other world powers have been trying to win Iran's acceptance of a deal under which Tehran would ship most of its low-enriched uranium stockpile abroad to be processed into fuel rods, which can't be enriched further.

The deal would leave Iran -- at least temporarily -- without enough enriched uranium to produce a bomb. However, after signaling in October that it would accept the proposal, Iran has since balked, giving mixed signals over the deal, including several statements from lawmakers rejecting it outright.

Mottaki maintained, however, that a clear proposal had been given involving the simultaneous exchange of uranium for fuel rods in stages.

''We gave a clear answer and we responded and our answer was we accepted in principle but there were differences in the mechanism,'' he said, suggesting the exchange take place on Iran's Kish island, in the Persian Gulf.

It is not clear, however, if the low-enriched uranium would then remain on the island or could be shipped out of the country -- a necessary condition to any deal from the standpoint of the international community.

The world powers are also unlikely to accept a long drawn out exchange in stages, as it would allow Iran to maintain enough enriched uranium inside the country to possibly build a weapon.

Iran, meanwhile, wants to receive the fuel rods immediately in exchange for its uranium for fear that France or Russia could renege deal.

Last month, the 35-nation board of the International Atomic Energy Agency endorsed a resolution from the six powers -- the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany -- criticizing Iran for defying a U.N. Security Council ban on uranium enrichment and continuing to expand its operations.

It also censured Iran for secretly building a second facility and demanded that it immediately suspend further construction.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said last month that the U.N. offer has been ''comprehensively rejected'' by Iran. A diplomat from one of the six powers said Wednesday that America's Western allies were waiting for Washington to formally declare the wait for an Iranian response over, probably by the end of this month.

The six countries are expected to meet next week to discuss what action to take over Iran.

EU leaders said they would support further U.N. sanctions unless Tehran starts cooperating over its nuclear program.