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Reporting from Beirut - Iran's top nuclear negotiator said Tuesday that the country was prepared to resume talks with world powers over its contentious nuclear technology program and that it has prepared a package of proposals for future discussions.

Saeed Jalili, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and its point person on the nuclear issue, did not disclose details of what Iran's nuclear proposal will entail but said it would be an updated version of one it submitted last year. That package was criticized by the West for failing to address key points of disagreement.

Still, Jalili's comments were the most substantive official remarks on the nuclear issue since Iran's contentious June 12 elections and could give the Obama administration, which has offered Tehran direct diplomatic talks over its nuclear program, an opportunity to try to engage Iran before resorting to a fresh round of sanctions.

"The Islamic Republic elections were held in Iran with significant glory and grandeur," he said in statement broadcast on state television. "Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran, backed with strong republicanism, proper authority and a logic that is based on the beliefs of the republic, is ready to offer its proposal package."

The United Nations Security Council has demanded that Iran stop producing enriched uranium, which can be used to fuel a power reactor or, if highly refined, serve as fissile material for a nu... >>>