A top Iranian nuclear negotiator says Tehran might consider stopping its controversial uranium enrichment program if it gets a guaranteed supply of fuel from abroad.

Iran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Ali Ashgar Soltanieh, said Thursday Iran might reconsider its stance in exchange for a legally binding agreement on a secure fuel supply for its nuclear power plants.

But he also indicated that Iran might want to retain some enrichment capacity as what he called "a contingency," in case the outside supplies of nuclear fuel would be cut off.

Iran has ignored U.N. resolutions demanding that it stop uranium enrichment. U.S. and European governments fear that Iran is trying to build a nuclear bomb. Tehran denies that and says it wants only to produce low-grade fuel for nuclear energy.

The same enrichment process also could be used to produce highly enriched uranium for nuclear weapons.

…