Friday, January 13 2006 16:46 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Amid deepening Iran nuclear crisis, India and the United States have held consultations on the issue after Europe's big three powers called for UN Security Council action against Tehran.

US Ambassador to India David C Mulford met National Security Adviser M K Narayanan here yesterday, just hours after Foreign Ministers of Britain, France and Germany reported that the two years of delicate negotiations with Tehran had reached a 'dead end,' sources said here today (Jan 13, 2006).

Sources said the Ambassador will hold more meetings with senior Indian officials over the issue in coming days.

India has been consistently trying to ensure that the Iran nuclear issue is not referred to the UNSC. New Delhi has been maintaining that negotiations within the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) should be given a chance to sort out the matter.

After Iran resumed sensitive nuclear fuel activities on Tuesday, Foreign Ministers of Britain, France and Germany held a meeting in Geneva yesterday and said they wanted an emergency meeting of the IAEA to refer the dossier to the UNSC.

"The talks with Iran are at a dead end," Germany's Frank-Walter Steinmeier told a joint press conference, adding, "We will be calling for an extraordinary IAEA board meeting."

"We believe the time has now come for the Security Council to become involved to reinforce the authority of IAEA resolutions," the troika said in a statement, referring to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said a planned meeting with Iranian officials on January 18 now "no longer has reason to take place."