Iran says Turkey is option for nuclear exchange

Iran's foreign minister says Turkey could be a venue for Tehran to exchange nuclear material with the West.

The statement is another of several offers Tehran has recently made without formally responding to a UN-drafted proposal that would reduce Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium and ease Western concerns over Tehran's nuclear intentions.

Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told state TV late Thursday that Iran "does not have a problem with Turkish soil" as the location for an exchange of enriched uranium for nuclear fuel.

Iran has earlier said it would only accept the exchange on its own territory.

The UN plan requires Tehran to ship enriched uranium abroad in return for nuclear fuel for a Tehran research reactor.