Ahmadinejad says Iran is ready for nuclear talks

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Ahmadinejad says Iran is ready for nuclear talks

The Associated Press Published Thursday, January 26, 2012 6:59AM EST

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TEHRAN, Iran - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran is ready for nuclear talks with the world powers amid toughening sanctions aimed at forcing Tehran to sharply scale back its nuclear program.

Ahmadinejad, however, says sanctions won't force Iran to capitulate to Western demands.

The United States and allies want Iran to halt uranium enrichment, which they worry could lead to weapons-grade material. Iran says it only seeks reactors for energy and research.

Ahmadinejad made the remarks in Kerman, southeastern Iran on Thursday.

Iran had previously indicated that it is ready for a new round of talks with the five permanent Security Council members plus Germany. A senior UN nuclear agency team is expected to visit Tehran on Saturday.

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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, waves to the crowd during a public gathering at the city of Shahr-e-Kord, in his provincial tour, in central Iran, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011. (Ebrahim Seyyedi / Presidency Office)
In this photo released by the semi-official Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), the reactor building of Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant is seen, just outside the port city of Bushehr 1,245 kilometres south of the capital Tehran, Iran, in this Nov. 30, 2009 file photo. (AP Photo/ISNA,Mehdi Ghasemi)