"It was decided today that the ministers will meet on July 12 in Western Europe, maybe in Paris," said a senior official from the US delegation at the G8 meeting in Moscow.

The official, who asked not to be named, said the meeting would allow ministers from the six powers "to hear in detailed fashion" the results of talks on July 5 between European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani.

Solana and Larijani are to discuss a plan put forward by the UN permament members and Germany to resolve the international standoff over Iran's civilian nuclear programme, which Western powers fear is a cover for a secret bomb-making project.

The six powers are offering Tehran incentives in return for suspending the enrichment of uranium, which can be used to produce nuclear fuel or atomic bombs.

The UN Security Council permanent members are Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.