Xinhua
Washington, Aug 6 (Xinhua) The US will study Iran’s response to an incentives offer by world’s major powers to halt its nuclear programme, the State Department has said. “We’re going to take a look at it,” State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos told reporters Tuesday, adding, the US received a copy of the Iranian response by e-mail from the office of the European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

“We are looking for a clear, positive response from Iran and in the absence of that we’re going to have no choice but to pursue further measures against them,” the spokesman noted.

He declined to disclose the contents of the Iranian document. Representatives of the US, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany had earlier held a telephonic conference on the Iranian nuclear programme Monday.

On July 19, Solana and Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili held talks to discuss Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme.

The US, in a break with past policy, sent Undersecretary of State William Burns to join the talks.

During the one-day meeting, Iran failed to give a clear answer to the incentives package proposed by the five UN permanent members plus Germany.

However, both Solana and Jalili said the meeting was positive and constructive and had promoted understanding of each other’s positions.

Last week, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said no deadline had been agreed upon during the Geneva meeting for Tehran to respond to the package of incentives.

The US accuses Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons under the cover of a civil nuclear programme, a charge firmly denied by Tehran.
Xinhua