The United States has informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it supports the proposal to have Iran ship its uranium abroad for processing.

"The United States delivered its positive response to IAEA Director General's (Mohamed) ElBaradei's proposal," said National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer in a statement.

"We look forward to Iran's reply," said Hammer.

Prior to the U.S. official announcement about ElBaradei's proposal, Russia and France have voiced their agreement to the proposal.

Senior officials of the United States, Russia and France had talks with their Iranian counterpart in Vienna over an agreement to allow Iran to purchase nuclear fuel for civilian use.

On Oct. 1, in the talks between Iran and a UN-backed group of six nations, the United States, Britain, Russia, France, Germany and China in Geneva, Iran agreed in principle to ship most of its existing low-grade enriched uranium to Russia and France, where it would be processed into fuel rods with a purity of 20 percent.

The enriched uranium would be transported back to Iran to be used in a research reactor for the manufacture of medical radioisotopes.