The Supreme National Security Council, which is headed by nuclear negotiator Hassan Rowhani, made no reference to where the talks would be held or, more importantly, at what level.

European diplomats here would only say that officials from the two sides had been in "regular contact" on the nuclear issue anyway, and went on to rule out ministerial-level negotiations unless Iran was open to making more concessions to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Last October the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany -- the European Union's so-called "big three" -- converged on Tehran to secure Iran's cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.

Iran agreed to suspend sensitive uranium enrichment activities, allow tougher IAEA inspections and file a comprehensive declaration of its nuclear activities.

But since then the deal has been under pressure, with inspectors discovering omissions in Iran's reporting, inspection visits delayed and the regime backing away from a pledge to suspend all enrichment-related activities.

Iran has also accused the Europeans of damaging the deal by sponsoring a critical resolution last month at the IAEA.

The clerical regime in Tehran is accused by the United States of using an atomic energy programme as a cover for top secret weapons development, a charge Iran denies.

WAR.WIRE