Negotiations between Iran and Russia have raised hopes of an agreement on Russia's uranium enrichment proposal, the deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council said on Tuesday before leaving for home after talks in Moscow.

Iranian and Russian officials discussed for two days Moscow's offer to host Iran's uranium enrichment on Russian territory. Western countries have backed the compromise plan, saying it could help allay concerns over Iran potentially producing weapons-grade nuclear material.

Ali Hosseinitash, who led the Iranian delegation in the talks, was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying that certain elements of the negotiations gave hope that an agreement might be reached.

The negotiations covered not only the Russian proposal but also priority matters for Tehran, he said, adding that Iran assessed the talks positively.

A major part of the negotiations dealt with the March 6 meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Hosseinitash said.

There has been no word on the outcome of the talks but Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was cited by the Itar-Tass new agency as saying the results of the negotiation would be made public.

The Russian plan is seen as a crucial attempt to resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear program before the IAEA session, which reports say could start a process leading to UN punishment against Iran.

Sergei Kiriyenko, head of the Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency, will travel to Iran on Thursday for more talks with Iranian officials.

Source: Xinhua