Iran has confirmed that it has faced espionage at some of its nuclear facilities.



Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency quotes Vice President Ali Akbar Salehi as saying some personnel at the country's nuclear facilities were lured by promises of better pay to pass secrets to the West.



He said increased security and worker privileges now have put a stop to the espionage.



The United States and its allies have sought to slow Iran's nuclear advances through UN and other sanctions out of suspicion Tehran intends to use a civil program as cover for developing weapons. Iran says it only wants to generate nuclear power.



Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki said Tehran is ready to hold talks with six major powers over its nuclear program "in late October or early November."



Talks between Iran and Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States, and Germany have been deadlocked since October 2009.



Mottaki gave no details about the venue of the talks.



In Brussels, a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who represents the six powers in the talks with Iran, said it was not yet known when talks would resume.



compiled from agency reports