Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad makes nuclear offer before UN speech

Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad offered to halt Iran's production of low-enriched uranium ahead of an address to the UN assembly today, as protests brewed on the streets of New York.

Iran, accused by Western nations of seeking to develop a nuclear weapon, is under four sets of UN sanctions for refusing for years to bow to international demands to rein in uranium enrichment.

But ahead of his address to the annual UN General Assembly, Ahmadinejad said Iran would halt such production of low-enriched uranium, which can be a stepping stone to produce atomic weapons, if the West gives it the material in return.

"If they give us the 20 per cent enriched uranium this very week, we will cease the domestic enrichment of uranium of up to 20 per cent this very week. We only want the 20 per cent enrichment for our domestic consumption," Ahmadinejad told The New York Times.

The European Union also offered to resume without "pre-conditions" the sputtering talks with Iran over its suspect nuclear program. The talks broke down in January.

Ahmadinejad, who is known for his incendiary speeches at the United Nations, reiterated that Tehran is only pursuing a nuclear programme for domestic purposes. "This is not something we wish to produce and sell on the open market," the Iranian leader said.

"Twenty per cent enriched uranium, as you know, is not useful for much of anything other than the production of cancer treatment medication. It is not useful for a power plant."