President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday became the latest and most senior member of the Iranian government to publicly declare his readiness for nuclear talks amid tough new economic sanctions adopted by the United States and Europe in recent weeks.

Mr. Ahmadinejad told students in the southern city of Kerman that he is ready for new talks, The Associated Press reported. But he added that the new sanctions, which target its oil industry, would not force Iran to give in to demands by the Western powers to end its nuclear enrichment program, The A.P. said.

The remarks come ahead of a visit by United Nations nuclear inspectors to Iran next week and a March 2 parliamentary elections in Iran, where the economy has sputtered under the weight of sanctions and high inflation. With the country’s currency at record lows, Mr. Ahmadinejad on Wednesday abruptly reversed himself and allowed interest rates to rise in an attempt to ease inflationary pressure. The move was seen as a rare tacit admission of the effect the sanctions have had in Iran.

While Thursday’s comments on negotiations were the first by the Iranian president, they did not appear to bring Iran closer to resuming negotiations with Europe and the United States. The previous round of negotiations over the Iranian nuclear program broke down over a year ago after Iran presented conditions considered unacceptable to the West.

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