Iran is ready to share its nuclear technology, considered to be a front for bomb-making by Washington, with other Islamic countries, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying today.
The comments were likely to heighten Western concerns about Tehran's nuclear programme just ahead of a key meeting of the UN's nuclear watchdog this month which could decide to refer Iran to the UN Security Council for punitive action.
"The Islamic Republic never seeks weapons of mass destruction and with respect to the needs of Islamic countries, we are ready to transfer nuclear know-how to these countries," the official IRNA news agency quoted Mr Ahmadinejad as saying.
The remarks were made during a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, IRNA said.
Washington and its allies say Iran has failed to provide full and timely information about its nuclear programme and are alarmed that Tehran last month broke UN seals at a uranium processing facility.
A vote on sending Iran's nuclear case to the UN Security Council may be taken at a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) board on September 19.
However, Western diplomats acknowledge that many non-aligned countries and the IAEA itself oppose referring Iran at this stage.
Seeking to avert referral to the Security Council, which could impose sanctions, Iran is engaged in intense lobbying for support from non-aligned countries at the UN summit.