"They find our proposal very interesting and are ready to move to detailed examination," the head of Russia's atomic energy agency, Sergei Kiriyenko, said.

Kiriyenko was speaking during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, portions of which were broadcast on Russian television.

He said "Iranian partners", whom he did not name, were due to arrive in Russia in the coming days to talk about the plan and added that discussions between experts in Moscow and Tehran were "taking place constantly".

Russia is building a nuclear power station at Bushehr in Iran and the United States and European Union suspect that Tehran is using the project to mask a secret bomb-making program, something hotly denied by the Iranian government.

Russia has offered to handle the enrichment of Iran's uranium supplies as part of an effort to ease fears that the civilian technology could be used for military purposes.

Meanwhile, the Russian foreign ministry reported that British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw had telephoned Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday to discuss the crisis. On Thursday, Lavrov held talks in Moscow with the French foreign minister.

Kiriyenko described Moscow's policy in Iran "as an example of how nuclear energy should be developed in the world," according to a statement from the atomic agency.

Putin stated that security was the paramount concern in all efforts to resolve international differences over Iran's nuclear program.

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