Iran has disclosed all nuclear sites: minister

Iran has declared all its atomic sites to the U.N. nuclear watchdog, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Thursday, countering suspicions that it may have undisclosed facilities, Reuters reported.

Mottaki spoke at a U.N. news conference as Iran held talks with six world powers in Geneva, centering on a new nuclear site near the city of Qom whose existence was only officially revealed last week.

"Whatever Iran has as nuclear sites has been announced to the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), and the only case that is under construction is Qom and we also announced that," Mottaki said through an interpreter.

Media reports quoted Iran's nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi as telling Iranian television this week he was preparing a letter for the IAEA on the location of the Qom facility "and others."

The New York Times said on Thursday the comment raised hopes Iran might reveal more about its nuclear activities.

However, a transcript issued by Iran's Press TV quoted Salehi as saying: "We will soon write a letter to them (the IAEA) about the location of the facility and other issues."

Western countries suspect Iran is aiming to develop nuclear weapons, something long denied by Tehran, which says it seeks only to generate civil nuclear power.

Western leaders accused Tehran last week of illicitly hiding the Qom uranium enrichment facility until it notified the IAEA on September 21.

But Mottaki restated Iran's contention that it had informed the U.N. agency before it was obliged to.