Iran hinted Monday it could agree to ship some low-enriched uranium abroad for processing as reactor fuel as the world awaited its reply on a U.N.-drafted nuclear plan aimed at easing tensions with the West.

But the step might not be enough to defuse the tensions, and Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki also left open the possibility Iran may snub the proposal and instead seek to buy the nuclear fuel it needs for a research reactor that makes medical isotopes.

The two-sided scenario presented by Mottaki appeared part of Iran''s strategy to drag out negotiations over its nuclear program and leave the West guessing about its decision expected later this week.

But Iran has not closed the door on the U.N.-backed concessions and has suggested there is room for some agreement on ways to keep tabs on its nuclear fuel and uranium enrichment. The latest message came as U.N. nuclear inspectors completed their second full day examining a still-unfinished enrichment lab that was top secret until just a month ago.

Mottaki said Iran could send part of its stockpile of partially enriched uranium abroad for later processing into fuel rods for reactors. It marked the first official indication that Iran could partly sign onto the U.N.-drafted plan that called for Russia to complete the enrichment process.