Iran is seeking significant changes to a UN nuclear fuel deal that it mostly agrees with, according to state media. This could potentially disrupt the plan and make Iran vulnerable to stricter sanctions. The European Union's foreign policy chief stated that there is no need to revise the UN draft, and officials from France warned that Iran may face tougher international sanctions if it tries to alter the plan. One of the key aspects of the plan that Iran opposes is the requirement to send most of its low-enriched uranium abroad for processing all at once. Iran claims it is only enriching uranium for power plant fuel, not for nuclear weapons, but its past nuclear secrecy and limited UN inspections have fueled suspicions in the West that Iran is secretly pursuing nuclear weapons capability. According to an unnamed official cited by the Iranian state Arabic-language satellite television station al Alam, Iran will provide its response to the proposed agreement within 48 hours, which is a week after the deadline set by UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei. Al Alam reported that Iran will accept the general framework of the draft proposal but will request some important amendments. The specifics of the changes that Iran will seek in the draft agreement ElBaradei discussed with Iran, Russia, France, and the United States in Vienna last week were not provided. However, senior lawmakers have suggested that Iran should import foreign fuel instead of sending abroad a significant portion of its low-enriched uranium stockpile by the end of the year as outlined in the proposal. Iran's foreign minister mentioned on Monday that Iran may consider both options under the deal, indicating that Tehran might not ship out as much low-enriched uranium as requested by major powers in order to delay the possibility of weaponizing enrichment for at least a year. The proposed agreement involves Iran sending 75 percent of its 1.5 tonnes of Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) to Russia for further enrichment and then to France for conversion into fuel plates. These plates would be returned to Iran to power a research reactor producing radio-isotopes for cancer treatment. This agreement was reached during high-level talks in Geneva between Iran and six world powers, including the United States, Russia, China, France, Germany, and Britain. Iran was compelled to disclose a newly-constructed enrichment site near Tehran after Western spy services detected it. Iran was given a temporary break from sanctions on its oil sector after making promises in Geneva. However, Western powers emphasized that they would not wait indefinitely for Iran to fulfill its commitments. These agreements are seen as tests of Iran's intentions to use uranium for peaceful purposes and could lead to further negotiations on limiting enrichment in order to address the nuclear standoff. Talks are set to resume in October, but delays in fuel proposals and ongoing inspections may prevent discussions this week. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner expressed concern over vague Iranian statements, stating that time is running out for Iran. The Middle East region is described as highly volatile and potentially explosive. The speaker believes that Iran cannot afford to delay in this situation, as it is very risky. He also mentioned that if needed, new sanctions could be considered by the end of the year. EU ministers have already requested the EU executive to explore additional sanctions that could be implemented. ElBaradei emphasized that Iran must send the majority of its low-enriched uranium overseas in order to build trust. He explained that this step is crucial in reducing tensions and establishing a sense of confidence. By transferring the material, there would be a year for peaceful negotiations, allowing Iran to demonstrate the peaceful intentions of their uranium enrichment activities. Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki stated that Iran will reveal its decision regarding the pact within the coming days. Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the head of the parliament's Foreign Affairs and National Security committee, suggested that any exported Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) should only be in small, gradual amounts. This proposal is unacceptable to Western and UN officials as it would not result in a reduction of Iran's LEU stockpile.