Iran is prepared to send its enriched uranium abroad for further enrichment in a bid to reach a compromise over Tehran's nuclear programme.

Speaking on state television, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran would have "no problem" with shipping its uranium stocks abroad and have them returned as reactor fuel rods. President Ahmadinejad's announcement contradicts several of his own previous statements as well as the latest stance of top Iranian officials.

Last month, diplomats said Tehran had informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it did not accept the terms of a United Nations-brokered deal which demanded that Iranian low enriched uranium (LEU) be sent to Russia and France for further purification.

The deal had been hammered out in October between Iran and the so-called P5+1 - the US, Russia, China, the UK, France and Germany. But after it was unveiled to the public, the terms were hugely criticised by radical leaders and scientists alike.

Tehran has vowed that if Western powers do not accept Iran's proposals, Tehran would enrich its LEU to the 20 percent level needed to power its reactor. The West fears for Iran's atomic ambitions, but Tehran has repeatedly claimed that its uranium programme is purely for peaceful purposes.

In his TV interview, Mr Ahmadinejad also said there were ongoing negotiations about a possible prisoner swap between three American hikers currently being detained in Iran and several Iranians in US jails. The Iranian president also announced that nine more Iranians would be hanged for their role in recent opposition demonstrations.

Iranian President Ahmadinejad agrees to UN nuclear deal: photo by EPA