Iran said today that a key deal for Russia to supply it with nuclear fuel had been delayed by 24 hours and was expected to be signed tomorrow.
Mr Ali Aghamohammadi, a senior security official, said the signing of the accord had been delayed as talks continued between Russia's nuclear energy chief Mr Alexander Rumyantsev and Iranian officials.
"We hope to reach an agreement on the time of fuel delivery to Iran by Saturday night," Mr Aghamohammadi, head of Supreme National Security Council's Propaganda Office, said.
"We hope to sign the deal on Sunday."
The deal to supply fuel for Iran's Russian-built 1,000-megawatt Bushehr nuclear plant would mean the country's only reactor would be set to go on line later this year and reach full capacity in 2006.
Mr Gholamreza Aghazadeh, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, said talks with Russian officials were progressing.
"We have reached agreements in different fields," Mr Aghazadeh told the official IRNA news agency.
The United States, strongly opposing the deal, says it fears the Bushehr reactor could be used as a cover by Tehran to build atomic weapons. Iran denies this, saying it needs nuclear power to generate electricity.