MOSCOW, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Russia has accepted the proposals by the UN nuclear watchdog to enrich uranium for Iran, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.

    "Russian experts attended the meeting where the proposals were developed on behalf of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)," Lavrov told a news conference.

    "We have agreed to these proposals and we hope that not only Iran, but all the other parties of the talks, will confirm their readiness to implement the proposed scheme," he was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency.

    The draft agreement, presented by the IAEA on Wednesday, is currently mulled by Iran, the United States, Russia and France and a final answer will be given on Friday.

    These proposals call for shipping most of Iran's existing low-grade enriched uranium to Russia and France, where it would be processed into fuel rods with a purity of 20 percent.

    The enriched uranium would be transported back to Iran to be used in a research reactor for the manufacture of medical radioisotopes.

    The United States and its Western allies have been accusing Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons under the disguise of developing civilian nuclear power. Iran has denied the accusation and stressed that its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes.

Special Report: Iran Nuclear Crisis