Washington - The United States would be willing to consider any proposal presented by Iran as long as it addresses international concerns about the Islamic state's nuclear activities, the US State Department said Wednesday.

"We've said we're willing to have a direct dialogue with Iran," spokesman Robert Wood said. "And if they come up with some new package with regard to their nuclear programme, we'll have to take a look and see what it is."

Tehran- Iran and the European Union on Monday agreed to resume talks over Iran's controversial nuclear programme, which for the first time could involve direct negotiations with the United States. During a telephone conversation between Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saaid Jalili and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, the two sides agreed to pursue talks between Tehran and the so-called P5+1 group, state television network IRIB reported.

Tehran - Iran and the European Union (EU) agreed to resume talks over Iran's controversial nuclear programme, state television network IRIB reported Monday. During a telephone conversation between Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saaid Jalili and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, the two sides agreed to pursue talks between Tehran and the so-called 5+1 group.

The group consists of the five UN Security Council members - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - plus Germany.

Baghdad - Hundreds of Kurds took the streets in Mosul on Monday calling for the inclusion of the province in the northern Kurdish Autonomous Region. Demonstrators in the heavily Kurdish populated villages of Shekhan and Singar carried signs calling for Mosul, 400 kilometres north of Baghdad, to join the federally recognized, autonomous region in the north that is home to the majority of Iraq's Kurdish minority.

Tehran - Iran Friday hanged three people convicted of being involved in a bomb explosion in a mosque in the southern city of Shiraz in 2008, Iranian media reported. Mohsen Eslamian, Ali-Asghar Pashtar and Rouzbeh Yahyazadeh - all members of Tondar, a previously unknown terror group - had been arrested last year and convicted by a revolutionary court, state-run IRIB television reported.

Fourteen people were killed and about 200 injured in a bomb explosion during a speech by a local cleric in a Shiraz mosque in April last year.

Isfahan, Iran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is to disclose the country's new atomic developments on Iran's so-called Nuclear Day on Thursday in the central Iranian city of Isfahan.

Ahmadinejad is to inspect the Natanz plant near Isfahan, where currently 6,000 centrifuges are operative and according to Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, at least 4,000 more centrifuges are planned to be installed during the current year.