Iran has agreed with Germany, Britain and France to suspend all uranium enrichment-related activities as of November 22 pending negotiations to find a longer-term accord.

The German government welcomed the move as "an important step in the global diplomatic efforts towards non-proliferation of nuclear weapons" but said it now wanted to ensure a long-term deal agreement could be found.

"Germany and its partners will pursue the negotiations with great determination," said a government statement.

"The German government expects the end result to be one that takes into consideration both their (Germany and its partners') interests and the legitimate interests of Iran, and that includes long-term and objective guarantees that Iran's nuclear programme only serves peaceful ends."