Iran Ready for Nuclear Talks: Raisi

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Saturday Iran was ready to hold talks with world powers to revive its 2015 nuclear accord but not under Western "pressure", adding Tehran was seeking negotiations leading to a lifting of US sanctions, reports Reuters.

"I have already announced that we will have talks on our government's agenda but not with ... pressure," Raisi said in a live interview with state television.

"Talks are on the agenda ... We are seeking goal-oriented negotiations ... so sanctions on the Iranian people are lifted," Raisi said.

France and Germany have urged Iran to return to negotiations after a break in talks following Iranian elections in June, with Paris demanding an immediate restart amid Western concerns over Tehran's expanding atomic work.

Last month, France, Germany and Britain voiced concern about reports from the UN nuclear watchdog confirming Iran has produced uranium metal enriched up to 20 per cent fissile purity for the first time and lifted production capacity of uranium enriched to 60 per cent.

Iran says its nuclear programme is peaceful, that it has informed the watchdog about its activities, and that its moves away from the 2015 deal would be reversed if the United States returned to the accord and lifted sanctions.

Raisi also said events in Afghanistan showed America was a disruptive influence around the world.

"Afghanistan clearly showed within these two decades that the US presence has caused a lot of the rights of the Afghan people to be ignored. What has happened is against human rights, and this can be analysed by all," he added.