Spokesman: Iran ready for nuclear talks

TEHRAN, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- Iran said Monday it is ready to hold talks on its nuclear program even as other reports said it had threatened retaliation if U.N. sanctions are imposed.

Government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham said Iran's readiness to hold talks must be within the framework of "international regulations," but stressed his country's rights to have access to peaceful nuclear technology, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reports.

Asked whether Iran would suspend uranium enrichment in view of earlier remarks by Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini that the issue could be discussed at the talks, Elham said Hosseini had been misquoted, adding "suspension of enrichment was not the subject of Hosseini's remarks."

But Elham also said "if the conditions of the negotiations were fair, this issue could be discussed."

Separately, China's Xinhua news agency quoting IRNA reported that Hosseini had warned on Sunday that any economic sanctions on Iran will have repercussions both at bilateral, regional and international scales.

Hosseini said Iran has so far advocated negotiations to resolve the issue.