Thursday, September 7 2006 10:37 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Vienna: Talks to kickstart negotiations on Iran's nuclear ambitions stumbled yesterday (Sept 6, 2006) when Iranian officials said a meeting here between Iranian and EU officials had been postponed.

"We will not have the meeting today (Wednesday) in Vienna, but it will be held in a couple of days" in Vienna, Iranian ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh told sources adding there was 'no particular reason' for the delay.

"It is more appropriate for both sides to meet later," he said.

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani Solana had tentatively planned to meet in Vienna yesterday, ahead of talks in Berlin today( Sept 7, 2006) between six nations trying to reach a deal with Iran over its suspect nuclear program.

Washington has led international concerns that Iran is covertly trying to develop a nuclear weapons program, something Tehran denies.

Yesterday's proposed talks had been aimed at giving diplomacy a last chance after Tehran ignored an August 31 deadline to stop uranium enrichment.

But in a sign of mounting international impatience, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said today Russia was considering support for UN economic sanctions against Iran.