Iran will open its atomic sites to some world powers, an official announced Tuesday, as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insisted the West is wrong to confront Tehran over its nuclear programme.

Invitations to visit Iran's nuclear sites have been sent to ambassadors of some of the countries represented in the UN atomic watchdog, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told reporters.

The rare move comes as Tehran works to garner support for its atomic drive in the run-up to talks with six world powers in Turkey at the end of January.

"The representatives of some European Union countries, NAM (Non-Aligned Movement), and some representatives of the five-plus-one (six world powers) have been invited to visit our nuclear sites," Mehmanparast said.

He said the invitation was part of the Islamic republic's attempt to demonstrate "cooperation with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)."

ISNA news agency meanwhile cited Iran's envoy to the IAEA, Ali Asgar Soltanieh, as saying that the visit was scheduled for January 15 and 16 and would be to the Islamic republic's main uranium enrichment plant at Natanz and the heavy water facility at Arak.

"This invitation is within the framework of Iran's transparent nuclear policy," Soltanieh said.

Mehmanparast said the visit showed the "goodwill of our country and the peaceful and cooperative nature of our (nuclear) activities."

Such visits to Iran's atomic facilities are rare and the last trip which Tehran arranged for members of the IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog, dates back to February 2007.

The proposed new visit to nuclear facilities, Mehmanparast said, "will take place before the Istanbul meeting," for which a final date has yet to be determined.

Iran and the six powers -- Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany -- are to meet for another round of talks on Tehran's atomic programme.

The previous round of talks, which took place after a hiatus of 14 months, was held in Geneva on December 6 and 7.

The talks are aimed at ascertaining whether Iran is seeking nuclear weapons or is indeed looking only to meet the energy needs of its growing population, as it insists.

China, a close ally and economic partner of Iran, confirmed it was among those invited to visit the atomic sites.

"China has received the invitation from the Iran side and will maintain communication with Iran on this," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said, without giving details.

Mehmanparast did not specify whether Iran's arch-foe, the United States, one of the six world powers negotiating with Tehran over its nuclear programme, was among those invited.

Asked specifically whether a US representative would be invited, Mehmanparast replied: "The list of the countries invited for the visit will be unveiled when it is finalised."

Washington has been spearheading a campaign of sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme, which world powers suspect is masking a drive for atomic weapons.

It has also not ruled out a military strike to stop the growing nuclear programme under Ahmadinejad, and Tehran has been slapped with four sets of UN sanctions.

Ahmadinejad was adamant on Tuesday that the West had made a mistake by confronting Iran over its nuclear programme.

"You should accept that you have made mistakes. You should accept that you chose the wrong path," the hardliner said in a speech at his hometown Semnan which was broadcast live on state television.

He said adopting the "previous path (of confronting Tehran) will have no result but defeat," adding that the West must respect the rights of other countries.

Ahmadinejad and other Iranian officials have maintained that pursuing nuclear technology is the Islamic republic's "inalienable right."