Iran's foreign minister said on Thursday his country was keen to resolve outstanding disputes over its nuclear programme but would not bow to pressure.After talks in Tehran with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Raffaele Grassi, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the ball was now in the EU/E3's court.

He said that they are ready for talks based on their national interest and rights, but will not tolerate pressure and threats. They hope that the other side will adopt a rational policy. A senior Iranian official said that Tehran will send a message to the three European powers France, Britain and Germany through Grassi about its seriousness in resolving the nuclear deadlock.

pressure will have the opposite effect

He said any pressure on Tehran would have the opposite effect. Britain, France and Germany are pushing for a new resolution against Iran by the International Atomic Energy Agency board next week to pressure Tehran over its poor cooperation, diplomats told Reuters on Wednesday.

Grassi, in a joint press conference with Iran's nuclear chief, urged Tehran to take steps to resolve the remaining issues. He said that it is in our power to take concrete steps here, which would clearly signal to the US and the international community that we can clarify things and move forward with concrete solutions.