Iran dismisses uranium transfer claim -- media

TEHRAN, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Iran's semi-official Fars news agency on Friday rejected a report by Saudi-owned Al Arabiya network that Tehran has agreed to transfer its enriched uranium to a third country.

Citing an informed source close to the Iranian negotiating team, Fars said nuclear issues were basically not on the current agenda of the talks between Tehran and Washington aimed at ending the war, and would only be discussed at later stages.

The denial follows an earlier report that Iran has informed Pakistan of its acceptance to transfer part of its enriched uranium to a third country.

The source stressed that such a transfer is not being discussed, adding that the United States must take "clear and definitive" actions before "final agreements on some fundamental issues" can be reached.

Meanwhile, Iran's army said on Friday that its navy fired warning shots toward two U.S. destroyers, DDG-103 and DDG-87 of the USS George H.W. Bush carrier strike group, in the Gulf of Oman, using "Qadir" cruise missiles and "Shahid Dana" drones.

In a statement on its website, the army said the destroyers subsequently left for the Indian Ocean.

The army described the operation as part of Iran's ongoing campaign to counter "maritime malicious acts and disruptions and the hijacking of commercial vessels and oil tankers by the Navy of the U.S. terrorist army."

The U.S. Central Command denied the incident had taken place, saying that Iranian forces did not fire at U.S. Navy warships.

Following the ceasefire that took effect between Iran, the United States and Israel on April 8 after 40 days of fighting, Tehran and Washington initiated a diplomatic process with Pakistan's mediation to end the war. The two sides have over the past weeks exchanged several proposed plans, outlining conditions for peace, and are working to finalize a memorandum of understanding.

Iran tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, barring passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States, following joint strikes on Iranian territory. The United States has also imposed a naval blockade on the strait, preventing ships traveling to and from Iranian ports from transiting the waterway. Enditem