Iran sees growing interest in P5+1 talks

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TEHRAN, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- There's growing interest from the international community for a resumption of multilateral nuclear talks with Iran, said Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi.

Salehi said Sunday at the 20th annual summit for the African Union in Ethiopia, saying Swiss and Kazakh governments have expressed interest in hosting talks between Iran and the so-called P5+1 -- Great Britain, Russia, the United States, China, France and Germany, state-funded broadcaster Press TV reports.

The Iranian government said Cairo agreed to host a round of P5+1 talks this year. Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is scheduled to visit Egypt next month.

Inspectors with the International Atomic Energy Agency left Iran mid-January without gaining access to the Parchin military complex outside Tehran. Iran was suspected of covering some controversial nuclear work there. IAEA inspectors said there may be military dimensions to certain aspects of Iran's nuclear program.

Conservative news website WND last week reported that there was a massive explosion at the Fardow nuclear facility in Iran. It cited a defected Iranian intelligence officer in its report. Shamseddin Barbroudi, deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization was quoted by Press TV as saying the report was a "propaganda stunt."