VIENNA, Nov. 24 (Xinhuanet) -- A Moscow proposal to move Iran's converted nuclear material to Russia is set to inject new hope into the deadlocked talks on the Islamic republic's nuclear program.

    But it is too early to expect a satisfactory outcome as the West has allowed Tehran only a short time to build its confidence in the proposals.

    A board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) decided on Thursday to defer taking Iran to the United Nations Security Council to allow time for it to consider the Russian proposal.

    Moscow suggested that Iran conducted uranium enrichment in Russia so that Tehran could be kept from obtaining nuclear technology crucial to making atom bombs.

    Under the suggestion, Tehran will be allowed to conduct less sensitive uranium processing and send the converted material to a Russian-Iranian joint venture on Russian soil to handle critical enrichment process.

    The compromise has gained backing from the IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei, and Iran also signaled to consider the proposal after studying its details. However, the United States and the EU have said they won't wait too long to see concrete actions of Tehran.

    "Iran should not conclude that this window of opportunity will remain open in all circumstances," warned British Ambassador to the IAEA Peter Jenkins who was speaking for the EU presidency.

    Iran needs "to implement the confidence-building measures" for which the IAEA has called, namely to cease uranium conversion work, Jenkins said.

    The United States, which has warned that referring Tehran to the Security Council could be soon if Iran were proven to be playing tricks over the nuclear issue, echoed the EU's voice.

    US Ambassador Gregory Schulte said only "a short period" should be given for Iran to win international confidence.

    The UN nuclear watchdog's 35-nation board of governors met on Thursday in Vienna to review progress since Sept. 24, when it found Iran had not complied with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a finding that requires eventual referral to the Security Council for possible international sanctions.

    The EU and the United States allege that Iran is, despite its denials, using its drive towards atomic energy for electricity generation as a cover for developing nuclear weapons.

    Iran's talks with the EU collapsed in August when Tehran broke a suspension of uranium conversion, the first step towards making enriched uranium, which can be used to fuel nuclear reactors and as the explosive core of atom bombs.

    As the IAEA board members achieved a rarely seen united stance on Thursday, thanks to the Russian offering, hope of concluding the talks is looming. However, the road to a satisfactory solution remains bumpy as Iran has never expressed willingness to give up enrichment on its territory. Enditem