Iran has proposed the establishment of an international consortium for nuclear fuel to remove concerns over Tehran's nuclear activities.

"To address the concerns of the international community, the Islamic Republic of Iran has submitted a new package of proposals in which Tehran has called for the formation of a consortium for production of nuclear fuel," said Iran's envoy to Japan.

Abbas Araqchi was speaking at a commemoration ceremony to mark the 20th anniversary of chemical attacks launched by the then US-backed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein on the western Iranian city of Sardasht and nearby areas.

"To prove its good will, Iran has also expressed its readiness to negotiate with all countries, except Israel, on its peaceful nuclear program," Araqchi said at a Friday press conference in Tokyo.

The ambassador added that the package of proposals presented to the West by Iran indicates that Tehran is ready to have constructive negotiations on various issues, including nuclear disarmament, terrorism and the crises in Lebanon, Afghanistan, Palestine and Iraq.

In 2006, Iran had submitted a similar proposal, in which the country called for the formation of a regional consortium for nuclear fuel production.

The US and its allies accuse Tehran of pursuing a nuclear weapons program and demand that Tehran abandon its enrichment activities.

Iran, however, insists that its nuclear program is directed at electricity generation and that it is entitled to enrich uranium as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

"We are a victim of chemical warfare--Like Japan, which has been hit by atomic bombs--we have never and will never pursue weapons of mass destruction," concluded Araqchi.

MK/AA/GM