Nuclear Disarmament, Nuclear Weapon | featured news

Both President Obama and Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev want Iran to relinquish potential nuclear explosive material in return for fuel. A White House official says the two leaders discussed possible sanctions if Iran refuses to comply.

A senior Iranian politician said Saturday the country would not ship low-enriched uranium out of the country, which is a major part of a pending nuclear deal between Iran and international powers, according to semiofficial state media.

Iran is ready for another round of talks on a U.N.-drafted nuclear fuel proposal, Tehran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Monday. "We are ready for the next round of technical discussions in Vienna at the IAEA headquarters," Ali Asghar Soltanieh told Reuters.

Iran did not reject the United Nations plan outright, but its counterproposal could draw out the negotiations.

U.S. President Barack Obama said he and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed on Wednesday that serious additional sanctions must be considered if Iran does not respond to proposals to end a nuclear standoff.

Obama says opposition to the U.S. has served as an 'excuse for our collective inaction' on matters such as nuclear disarmament, climate change and Middle East peace.