VIENNA, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The United States, Russia and France Saturday endorsed a proposal by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohamed ElBaradei on Iran's nuclear development, but Iran said it needed until next week to respond.

    The United States, Russia and France have indicated their positive response to ElBaradei's proposal on a draft agreement to supply Iran with nuclear fuel for its research reactor, which among other things produces radioisotopes for medical purposes, according to the IAEA.

    Iran informed ElBaradei it was considering the proposal in depth and in a favorable light, but it would not respond to the proposal until the middle of next week.

    The IAEA chief hopes Iran's response will also be positive, since the approval of the proposal will signal a new era of cooperation.