Iran must respond to letter before nuclear talks date: EU

(BRUSSELS) - Iran must respond to a letter from the European Union before nuclear talks can resume, an EU spokesman said Tuesday, dismissing a call by Tehran for the EU to set a new date for negotiations.

"They are getting things the wrong way around," Michael Mann, spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, told AFP. "First things first. They must first respond to the letter and then we'll take it from there."

Ashton, who represents six world powers in the talks, has yet to receive a response since she sent a letter to Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili in October offering to resume negotiations, but without pre-conditions.

"We wrote to them saying in broad terms, if you want to show that your nuclear programme is peaceful, then we are happy to listen to that and that will involve discussions," Mann said.

"They have to respond. If their response is meaningful, then we will take it from there," he said. "The ball is on the Iranian side."

An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said earlier Tehran "has already given its response" to Ashton and was waiting for her to declare a date and venue to resume talks with the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China.

When a proposal is received, Iran's team of negotiators "will express their point of view and through contacts there will be a final agreement" between both sides on a meeting, the spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, told reporters.

Mann said the EU would continue its "twin-track approach" of offering negotiations while applying sanctions against Iran over its refusal to abide by international demands.

"We are open to meaningful discussions with the Iranians on confidence-building measures," he said. "There can't be any pre-conditions from the Iranian side and also we continue to work on extending our sanctions."

The EU has imposed a raft of sanctions against Iran and will consider more punitive measures when foreign ministers meet on January 30. An oil embargo is being debated by EU governments.

With UN and US measures also weighing on its economy, Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital international oil shipping lane, if it is attacked or if Western sanctions cripple its crude exports.

Iran flexed its military muscle in the past few days, with its navy conducting manoeuvres at the entrance to the Persian Gulf and test-firing three missiles designed to sink warships.

The head of Iran's armed forces, Brigadier General Ataollah Salehi, warned Tuesday that the USS John C. Stennis, one of the US navy's biggest warships, should "not return" to its Gulf base.