TEHRAN, Iran >> Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi is proposing Cairo as a venue for the next round of talks with world powers over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.

Salehi is quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying that Egypt has welcomed the offer and is now consulting with the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany to finalize it.

Salehi made the comments Wednesday after a Cabinet meeting in Tehran.

Negotiations between Iran and the six powers fell apart in June 2012 in Moscow. The two sides have been in discussions to get the talks back on track, perhaps as soon as later this month.

The U.S. and its allies fear that Iran may ultimately be able to develop a nuclear weapon, a charge Tehran denies.