The Obama administration's signal of more pressure on the Islamic republic came after Tehran dismissed a US-set deadline of December 31 and issued the West a one-month "ultimatum" to accept a counter-proposal for a nuclear fuel swap.

"The door is of course still open for Iran to do the right thing and live up to its international obligations," said Bill Burton, a White House spokesman.

"We'll be going through the appropriate process to try to get them to the table and do exactly what they're supposed to do," Burton said, adding that President Barack Obama's national security team and other top advisors were due to meet this week to determine "what the next steps are."

Separately, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States has discussed with its allies "pressure and sanctions" on Iran over its nuclear program, which the West suspects is a cover for atomic weapons-building.

"We have begun discussions with our partners and like-minded nations about pressure and sanctions," said Clinton.

"Our goal is to pressure the Iranian government, particularly the Revolutionary Guard elements without contributing to the suffering of ordinary (Iranians) who deserve better than what they are currently receiving" she said.

Tehran has already ignored the 2009 year-end deadline to accept the IAEA-brokered deal aimed at allaying fears about its nuclear drive by shipping most of its low enriched uranium (LEU) stockpile abroad to be further enriched into reactor fuel.

Despite the threat of tougher sanctions, Iran came out with its own proposal of a simultaneous and staged swap of LEU with reactor fuel.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Saturday Tehran had until the end of January to reach a uranium swap deal, stressing it will press on with plans to produce moe highly enriched nuclear fuel if there is no agreement.

Mottaki gave the West a one-month "ultimatum" to accept the Iranian counter-proposal.

Reacting to Mottaki's statement, the US National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said on Saturday that the IAEA proposal was sufficient.

"If getting access to fuel is Iran's objective, then there is absolutely no reason why the existing proposal, which Iran accepted in principle at Geneva, is insufficient. The Iranian government is standing in its own way," Hammer said.

Iran is already under three sets of UN Security Council sanctions over its defiance and refusal to suspend enrichment, which lies at the heart of international fears about its nuclear programme.

Some western powers have dismissed the Iranian proposal and called on Tehran to accept the IAEA deal or face further sanctions.

China is involved in the talks that also include Britain, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.

Tehran insists its nuclear program is designed for peaceful purposes and aims to provide new energy sources to a growing population.

Clinton also slammed what she called the "ruthless repression" of demonstrators against the Iranian regime, amid reports that hundreds remained jailed.

"We have deep concerns about their behavior, we have concerns about their intentions and we are deeply disturbed by the mounting signs of ruthless repression that they are exercising against those who assemble and express viewpoints that are at variance with what the leadership of Iran wants to hear," Clinton said.

Iranian police are still holding 300 of the 500 people they arrested in Tehran on December 27, when opposition supporters staged protests during the Shiite religious commemoration of Ashura.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has accused the United States and Israel of staging the opposition protests during the Ashura rituals.

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