Mr Ahmadinejad hailed what he said was a change in the West's approach to Iran's nuclear program from "confrontation to co-operation".
"We welcome fuel exchange, nuclear co-operation, building of power plants and reactors, and we are ready to co-operate," he said in the city of Mashhad.
The speech came as Iran responded to a UN plan on shipping the country's low-enriched uranium abroad for further enrichment. The plan curtails any covert nuclear arms-making abilities by Iran.
A hardline Iranian newspaper reported yesterday that Tehran would propose two amendments to the UN deal under which most of Tehran's low-enriched uranium would be sent abroad for conversion into nuclear fuel.
The deal drafted by the International Atomic Energy Agency envisages 75 per cent of Tehran's low-enriched uranium stock being sent abroad for higher processing and conversion into fuel for an internationally supervised research reactor in Tehran, according to Javan.
Tehran would propose two amendments to this deal, the paper said. Iran would offer its stock of LEU "gradually" in several batches rather than sending out the full 75 per cent in one go, the paper said, quoting an unnamed source.
Secondly, Iran wanted to receive highly enriched uranium fuel at the same time as it hands over its LEU stock "as per a formula to be calculated by the IAEA based on the need of the Tehran reactor".
Meanwhile, an Iranian employee of the British embassy in Tehran has been jailed for four years after being found guilty of fomenting violence at the behest of the British government.
Hossein Rassam, 44, the embassy's political counsellor, was sentenced in a closed courtroom this week, although the outcome is yet to be publicly announced.
Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office learnt of his sentence on Tuesday and summoned the Iranian ambassador in protest. The British ambassador in Tehran has lodged an official complaint.
Mr Rassam was one of eight Iranian staff at the British embassy arrested after mass street protests erupted across Iran following the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on June 12.
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, blamed the protests by opposition supporters on a British plot to bring down the regime. Britain denies involvement. Mr Rassam was sent to Evin prison in Tehran and charged with being the "kingpin" behind a British plot.
In a statement to The Times, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Mr Rassam's sentence was unacceptable and urged that it be immediately repealed. "We understand the sentence can be appealed," he added. "I urge the authorities to conduct this quickly and overturn this harsh sentence. Such a decision is wholly unjustified and represents further harassment of embassy staff for going about their normal and legitimate duties."
Mr Rassam is still on bail after his release from Evin prison in August.