Major world powers will meet in Vienna on Thursday to finalize a package of incentives for Iran to halt nuclear fuel enrichment along with penalties if it keeps defying international pressure, officials said on Tuesday.

Iranian government spokesman Gholamhossein Elham is seen in this December 13, 2005 file photo. Iran said on Monday there had been no mention of Tehran surrendering its disputed uranium enrichment programme in talks with Igor Ivanov, Secretary of Russia's Security Council. [AP]

 

The United States, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany failed to resolve differences at London talks last week over the extent of sweeteners for Iran or the nature and timing of sanctions if Tehran clung to enriching uranium.

The Chinese government said the sextet's foreign ministers would convene on Thursday in Vienna, where the watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is based. British and European Union officials also confirmed the meeting.

"We hope the meeting will achieve positive results," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said in Beijing.

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana indicated on Sunday some differences remained but that the six powers were "getting very close" to consensus after further consultations.

Tehran says it seeks nuclear energy only for electricity. Western powers suspect Iran's program is a civilian cover for efforts to master technology to build atom bombs.

Contacts between the six powers' top diplomats sought to bridge lingering differences over key aspects of the package, including the legal basis of a Security Council resolution to underpin it, an EU diplomat said.

Diplomats said last week the incentives prepared by Britain, France and Germany for Iran would include a light-water nuclear reactor and an assured foreign supply of fuel for civilian power plants so Iran would not have to enrich uranium at home.

But Washington has been wary about transferring reactor technology that might be diverted into secret bomb production.

Sanctions could entail visa bans and a freeze on assets of senior Iranian officials before resorting to trade measures.

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