Iran invites diplomats to view nuke plants

TEHRAN, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- Iran has invited a number of western diplomats to visit the republic's nuclear facilities, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said.

Mehmanparast said International Atomic Energy Agency-accredited ambassadors in Vienna, including representatives from Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States as well as the European Union and non-aligned countries, have been invited, the state news agency IRNA said Tuesday.

"The new move of inviting the ambassadors of different countries to visit our nuclear facilities has once again shown the goodwill of our country regarding cooperation [with the IAEA] and [Iran's] peaceful nuclear activities," he said.

Mehmanparast made the comments at a news conference Monday,

Ali-Asghar Soltaniyeh, Iran's permanent IAEA representative, sent letters to the ambassadors inviting them to tour his country's nuclear sites, the news agency said.

The invitation came just weeks before Iran is due to meet with the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany for a new round of talks concerning its nuclear activities.