Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says he is willing to hold talks with Democratic presidential nominee-to-be Senator Barack Obama.

"I announce my readiness to meet with all the presidential candidates of the United States and have a live debate with them," Ahmadinejad said in a Tuesday press conference after a D8 summit in Kuala Lumpur.

When asked if he would negotiate with Sen. Obama, who has vowed to directly engage with the leaders of countries that Washington considers enemy, President Ahmadinejad said he always welcomes dialogue despite Washington's hostile policies toward Tehran.

Sen. Obama had promised there would be no 'preconditions' for potential presidential meetings with the Islamic Republic should he be elected the next US commander in chief.

However, after being charged by Republican rival John McCain with intending to become friends with the Iranian government, Sen. Obama said in late May that he would not promise to hold talks with President Ahmadinejad.

"There is no reason why we would necessarily meet with Ahmadinejad before we know that he was actually in power," said the senator.

President Ahmadinejad had proposed to meet US President George W. Bush during his visit to New York in September 2007. US officials, however, rejected the offer, saying the White House would only engage in direct talks after Tehran halts its nuclear program.

Washington accuses Iran of developing a military nuclear program. Tehran, however, insists its nuclear program is directed at generating electricity and is in line with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

This is while the most recent UN nuclear watchdog report concluded that there is no link between the use of nuclear material and the 'alleged studies' of weaponization in Iran's nuclear facilities.

MD/HGH