Senior EU and Iranian officials said on they had made progress in last-ditch talks to avert UN sanctions over Tehran's refusal to suspend uranium enrichment and would continue the meetings.
With the United States pushing for work on sanctions to begin at the UN Security Council this week, European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said his two days of talks in Vienna with top Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani had been "productive".
Solana said the two "had cleared up some of the misunderstanding that existed" over Iran's response to an international offer of benefits from six world powers if Tehran heeded a Security Council call to freeze work on enrichment, which makes nuclear reactor fuel but also atom bomb material.
"I have had more than seven hours of work with Dr. Larijani," Solana told reporters following the end of the meeting at the federal chancellery in the Austrian capital.
"We have made progress that we want to continue," Solana said. "For that purpose we are going to meet again next week." Solana did not say exactly when or where this would be.
{{/usCountry}}"We have made progress that we want to continue," Solana said. "For that purpose we are going to meet again next week." Solana did not say exactly when or where this would be.
{{/usCountry}}Solana had said Friday in Copenhagen that no UN sanctions would be imposed on Iran "as long as meetings with Mr Larijani continue".
"I do consider this meeting as constructive," Larijani said, noting his "understanding of this meeting is quite similar to that of Dr Solana".