Iranian ambassador to IAEA speaks up

The International Atomic Energy Agency is confirming that Iran has given an "initial response" to a UN-backed plan calling for Tehran to ship most of its enriched uranium abroad but has not revealed the country's position.

The Iranian ambassador to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltaniyeh, says his nation is pursuing the discussion with the IAEA with a "positive approach."

He also points out that economic and technical concerns have to be taken into consideration when dealing with the modality of the fuel supply for Tehran's research reactor.

Under the UN proposal hammered out last week, the country would commit to shipping 70 percent of its enriched uranium to Russia and France for further processing.

Western nations say this would eliminate the Islamic Republic's ability to make a nuclear weapon. But Tehran signaled this week that it wants significant changes to the UN deal.