Russia and the UN nuclear agency will start work on November 26 to prepare for nuclear fuel deliveries to Iran's Bushehr NPP, the Islamic Republic's vice president and nuclear chief said.

Iran will not stop its nuclear enrichment program even if new UN sanctions are introduced, the country's top nuclear negotiator said in a TV interview.

The IAEA says a timetable agreed with Tehran to answer questions about Iran’s nuclear program is a "significant step forward." The statement from the UN nuclear watchdog comes in a report, made public on August 30, that evaluates Iran’s behavior since May.

Tehran's announcement on April 9 of industrial-scale nuclear enrichment is regarded by critics as a further act of defiance by a government that has resisted international pressure to suspend sensitive nuclear work.

The Senate committee that oversees U.S. banking heard testimony yesterday about the effectiveness of U.S. sanctions on Iran. The U.N. Security Council is expected to vote on a new resolution toughening the existing sanctions. Meanwhile, Iranian leaders remain defiant in the face of international pressure to suspend nuclear enrichment. VOA's Sean Maroney reports.