Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says his nation is ready to begin sharing its nuclear technology with nearby states.
Iranian state media quoted the leader Saturday as saying the technology represents a clean source of energy and a replacement for oil.
The United States and other Western nations say Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran says the program is for peaceful ends.
In Moscow, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says he hopes the U.N. Security Council can reach a deal to resolve the nuclear dispute in coming weeks.
He says international partners should encourage talks with Iran, and not seek to punish the Islamic Republic.
Britain's United Nations ambassador says diplomats may agree next week to impose sanctions on Iran because of its nuclear program. But Russia's U.N. ambassador says the plan is not ready yet.
International partners are considering sanctions after Iran ignored an August 31 U.N. deadline to suspend uranium enrichment.
Iran's official news agency quotes the country's ambassador to the U.N. atomic agency as saying that any action by the Security Council will make the situation worse.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
