Iran says the Russian-built 1,000-megawatt nuclear plant will start producing energy in early 2011 after years of delays and that its launch shows the West is wrong to accuse it of seeking to develop atomic bombs.

The United States and its allies say the fact that Russia provides the fuel for Bushehr means that Iran does not need to enrich uranium itself, the part of the Islamic Republic's nuclear program they are most worried about.

"Despite all efforts and policies of America and the European Union to put sanctions on Iran, the fuel of the Bushehr power plant will be loaded into its core tomorrow," MP Alaeddin Boroujerdi was quoted as saying by official media.

Iran insists it needs to enrich uranium - material which can also be used to make weapons if refined much further - to fuel future power stations designed to generate electricity and enable the country to export more of its gas and oil riches.

But Western powers believe Iran's uranium enrichment is part of a covert weapons drive and have imposed increasingly tough sanctions on Tehran to force it to halt the work.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has invited Iran for talks on its nuclear program in Vienna from November 15 to 17. Iran has indicated it welcomes the offer of talks, but has not yet formally replied to the invitation.