Tehran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he would be ready to help the United States in solving global problems, the official news agency IRNA reported Friday.

In a meeting with the new Swiss ambassador to Tehran, Ahmadinejad said that Iran would welcome "real changes" by the new US administration of President Barack Obama, however, under the condition that the atmosphere of bilateral relations would be based on respect and equality.

Tehran- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday rejected concerns and worry in the West over the launch into orbit Iran's first domestically produced satellite, Fars news agency reported.

"This satellite is just a messenger of peace and justice," Ahmadinejad said in a speech in the city Mashad in north-eastern Iran.

Ahmadinejad on Tuesday ordered the launching of Omid (Hope) on a domestically produced Safir 2 rocket. The move caused concern in the West as the capability of launching satellites would also enable Iran to launch ballistic missiles.

Washington  - The United States said Wednesday it was disappointed that Iran did not extend visas to the US women's badminton team to compete in an upcoming tournament in Tehran.

US State Department deputy spokesman Robert Wood said the team of eight players, a coach, a manager and two officials from the US Badminton Federation was returning to the United States after being unable to obtain visas in Dubai.

Wiesbaden, Germany  - Six of the world's major powers on Wednesday reaffirmed their commitment to diplomatically resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear activities while welcoming US President Barack Obama's willingness to widen dialogue with Tehran.

Senior diplomats from Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States met in the German city of Wiesbaden for the first time since Obama took office January 20. The six countries are leading the international effort to ensure Iran is not seeking a nuclear weapons capability.

Wiesbaden, Germany - Representatives of six major powers met Wednesday to discuss how they could resolve the stand-off with Iran over its controversial nuclear programme.

The meeting of China, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and the United States is the first on the subject since the administration of US President Barack Obama took office last month.

A German foreign ministry spokesman said the talks in the city of Wiesbaden were intended to demonstrate the unity of the six powers in their approach to Iran.

Tehran - Iran denied entry visas for a US women's badminton team which was scheduled to come to Iran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi said Wednesday.

The spokesman argued that the lengthy visa procedure made it impossible for the team to come to Tehran for a February tournament.

A crush of photographers and TV crews on Tuesday night rushed to the IKIA airport outside Tehran to cover the team's arrival via Dubai but were told by officials about the cancellation.