国际英语新闻:White House denies agreement on one-on-one talks with Iran

The agreement for direct talks "has the potential to help Mr. Obama make the case that he is nearing a diplomatic breakthrough in the decade-long effort by the world's major powers to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions, but it could pose a risk if Iran is seen as using the prospect of the direct talks to buy time," the New York Times said.

In exchanges with their American counterparts, the Iranian officials "have insisted that the talks wait until after the presidential election," the paper quoted a senior administration official as saying, adding the Iranians want to know with whom they would be negotiating.

Iran has rejected for years one-on-one talks with the United States, a country it has described as the Great Satan, "reflecting what experts say are internal power struggles," the paper said.

Iran insists on the peaceful nature of its nuclear program, while Washington and its Western allies regard it as a cover for developing nuclear weapons.

The six powers, the so-called P5+1, have been negotiating with Iran over terms on ending its uranium enrichment program in the past years, with three rounds in place so far this year.

"The prospect of direct talks is why there has not been another meeting of the major-powers group on Iran," the New York Times quoted a senior American official as saying.

The UN Security Council imposed four rounds of sanctions on Iran between 2006 and 2010 over its refusal to halt its nuclear enrichment program, and the United States and the European Union have imposed and expanded sanctions of their own over the years.

In his statement, Vietor warned Iran of more crippling sanctions over its continuing refusal to "come in line with its obligations."

"The president has made clear that he will prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and we will do what we must to achieve that," he added.