Iran weighs U.S. reset, Ahmadinejad says

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UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- Tehran is ready to "rethink its negative mentality" of the United States if Washington makes a similar move, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said.

Ahmadinejad is to speak this week at the U.N. General Assembly. He told reporters on the sidelines of his visit to U.N. headquarters that he was ready to reassess Iran's relationship with the United States.

"If the U.S. administration takes a step to create understanding between the two states, the Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to rethink its negative mentality of the United States and help improve the relations between the two countries faster," he was quoted by Iran's semiofficial Fars News Agency as saying.

Iran's nuclear program is expected to be a focal point of U.S. concerns raised during the U.N. meeting this week. The International Atomic Energy Agency said in its latest report there were outstanding transparency concerns regarding Iran's nuclear research, which Tehran says is for peaceful purposes.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to address "Iran's profound failure" to live up to international expectations.

"Therefore, the United Nations General Assembly presents another opportunity for him to underscore that Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon," he said.