TEHRAN, Nov. 11 (Xinhuanet) -- Iran said on Friday that it will consider a recent proposal by Russia that Iran perform uranium enrichment in the Russian territory if the offer is officially presented and in accordance with Iran's interests.

    "Enrichment in those countries might serve their interests, but what matters to us is owning the full cycle of the nuclear fuel in Iran ... We would naturally survey such a proposal," chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying.

    Larijani referred to a suggestion reportedly made by Russia last week to break the current standoff of the Iranian nuclear issue, which will allow Iran to keep its uranium conversion activities, a preparatory step for enrichment, on condition that the actual enrichment be carried out in Russia to prevent the technology from being used for military purposes.

    The United States and the European Union (EU) have expressed readiness to withdraw from its previous position that Iran must halt all activities related to uranium enrichment and to accept Russia's plan.

    Uranium conversion is the process of turning uranium ore nicknamed "yellowcake" to uranium hexafluoride gas (UF6), which can be fed into connected centrifuges to yield enriched uranium,the material that can be used to generate electricity as well as build nuclear weapons.

    Iran resumed uranium conversion activities in early August,dealing a heavy blow to nuclear negotiations with the EU which started after Tehran suspended all activities related to uranium enrichment in November 2004.

    Larijani said that the European trio of Britain, France and Germany had not replied to his letter calling for resuming nuclear negotiations, which was forwarded to foreign ministers of the three countries on Nov. 6.

    He called on International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) DirectorGeneral Mohamed ElBaradei to deliver a report on Iran's nuclearcase based on a legal procedure and in a technical and precisemanner at the agency's upcoming meeting.

    "We have already provided him with all the information the IAEAever has asked for," Larijani stressed.

    On Sept. 24, the IAEA adopted a EU-drafted resolution on theIranian nuclear issue, urging Iran to re-suspend all enrichment-related activities before the agency's Board of Governors convenes on Nov. 24.

    The United States accuses Iran of developing nuclear weaponssecretly, a charge rejected by Tehran as politically motivated. Enditem