According to state media reports, Iran is seeking significant changes to a UN nuclear fuel agreement that it mostly agrees with, which could potentially disrupt the plan and make Iran vulnerable to harsher sanctions. The European Union's foreign policy chief stated that there is no need to alter the UN draft, and officials from France suggested that Iran may face increased international sanctions if it tries to modify the agreement. One key aspect of the plan that Iran opposes, but is requested by Western countries to reduce the risk of an Iranian nuclear weapon, is the transfer of most of its low-enriched uranium stockpile abroad for processing all at once, as reported by state television. Despite Iran's claims that it is only enriching uranium for energy purposes and not for nuclear weapons, suspicions persist in the West due to Iran's history of nuclear secrecy and continued limitations on UN inspections. According to an unnamed official cited by Iranian state Arabic-language satellite television station al Alam, Iran will provide its response to the proposed agreement within 48 hours of the deadline set by UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei. Al Alam reported that while Iran will accept the general framework of the draft proposal, it will seek some significant amendments. The details of these changes were not specified. Iranian lawmakers have suggested that Iran should import foreign fuel instead of sending a large portion of its low-enriched uranium stock abroad as outlined in the proposal. Iran's foreign minister has mentioned the possibility of both options being considered in the deal, indicating that Tehran may not ship out as much uranium as the big powers desire in order to delay the potential weaponization of enrichment. The preliminary agreement requires Iran to send approximately 75 percent of its known 1.5 tonnes of Low Enriched Uranium to Russia for further enrichment and then to France for conversion into fuel plates by the end of the year. The fuel plates would then be returned to Iran to power a research reactor that produces radio-isotopes for cancer treatment. Key agreements on the fuel plan and U.N. monitoring of a newly-revealed enrichment site were reached during talks in Geneva on October 1 between Iran and six major world powers. A group of U.N. inspectors arrived in Iran to inspect the new site located 160 km south of Tehran. Iran reportedly disclosed the existence of the plant to the IAEA after discovering that Western intelligence agencies had detected it. Iran managed to temporarily avoid sanctions on its oil sector with its promises in Geneva, but the Western powers are growing impatient and emphasize that they will not wait indefinitely for Iran to fulfill its commitments. The agreements made in Geneva are seen as tests of Iran's intentions regarding its use of refined uranium for civilian purposes, and are seen as a starting point for more substantial negotiations on limiting Tehran's enrichment activities to address the ongoing standoff over its nuclear ambitions. While there were plans to reconvene in October, delays in the fuel proposal and ongoing inspections have made it unlikely that talks will resume this week. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner expressed concern about the latest Iranian statements, calling them a bad sign and warning that time is running out for Iran. The Middle East region is highly volatile and risky, according to Kouchner. He believes that Iranians cannot afford to delay in this tense environment. Kouchner also mentioned the possibility of implementing new sanctions by the end of the year if necessary, as requested by EU ministers. ElBaradei stated that Iran must send most of its Low Enriched Uranium overseas in order to build trust. He emphasized the importance of reducing tension and building confidence, suggesting that removing this material could create a peaceful environment for negotiations. ElBaradei also mentioned that this step would allow Iran to prove its peaceful intentions regarding uranium enrichment. Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki stated that Iran will reveal its decision regarding the pact in the coming days. Alaeddin Boroujerdi, who heads parliament's Foreign Affairs and National Security committee, suggested that any exported Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) should be done in small, gradual amounts. However, Western and UN officials oppose this idea as it would not lead to a reduction in Iran's overall LEU stockpile.