Iran seeks new Russia reactor in exchange for oil

Iran's ambassador to Moscow yesterday said Russia could build the Islamic republic a second nuclear power reactor in exchange for massive oil shipments that have raised grave concern in Washington.
Ambassador Mehdi Sanaei said the two close trading partners have been negotiating Iran's delivery of hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil a day since a meeting at a regional summit in September between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his counterpart Hassan Rouhani.
Russian officials had previously neither confirmed nor denied the discussions. But they stressed that such deliveries would not break existing UN sanctions on the Islamic state.
However, Washington and the EU have imposed their own restrictions over Tehran's disputed nuclear programme that also penalise countries and companies dealing in certain areas with Iran.
The White House last month expressed "serious concern" over the rumoured oil-for-goods swap -- which one Russian report said concerned the delivery of 500,000 barrels of crude per day -- because it could potentially boost Iran's energy exports by more than 50 percent.
Meanwhile, Iran's top decision-maker Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said yesterday that while he is not against a resumption of nuclear negotiations with the world's major powers, the talks will "lead nowhere".
"Some of the officials of the previous government as well as the officials of this government think the problem will be resolved if they negotiate the nuclear issue," Khamenei said in remarks published on his website Khamenei.ir.
"I repeat it again that I am not optimistic about the negotiations and they will lead nowhere, but I am not against them," he added.
Iran is due to resume talks today in Vienna with the P5+1 powers -- Britain, France, the United States, Russia and China plus Germany -- aimed at reaching a comprehensive accord on its controversial nuclear programme.