Iran seeks to deflect pressure with fuel swap: US

Iran was trying to deflect pressure from major powers pushing for fresh sanctions over its nuclear program by agreeing to a nuclear fuel swap deal, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday.                                           
 

Clinton earlier said the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- along with Germany had agreed to a fresh
draft resolution that will be shared with the council on Tuesday.      

The announcement appeared an implicit rebuff to a nuclear fuel swap deal that Brazil and Turkey worked out with Iran, although China -- the major power most reluctant to sanction Iran -- welcomed that deal and urged more talks with Tehran.            

"We don't believe it was any accident that Iran agreed to this declaration as we were preparing to move forward in New York," Clinton said, referring to efforts by major powers to pass a new Security Council sanctions resolution on Iran.                       

"The fact that we had Russia board, we had China on board, and that we were moving early this week, namely today, to share the text of that resolution, put pressure on Iran which they were trying to somehow dissipate," she added.