NEW YORK, June 29 (RIA Novosti) - Tehran will respond to international proposals on regulating the Iranian nuclear problem in August, the foreign minister said Thursday.
Earlier this month, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tehran would respond to the package of incentives on August 22.
Manouchehr Mottaki, speaking at a news conference at the United Nations headquarters, said Iran's response would come in early to mid August.
Mottaki had said Saturday it was "illogical" to demand that Tehran respond to the proposals put forward by the Iran-6 before a summit of the Group of Eight industrialized nations in St. Petersburg in mid-July.
Russia, the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Germany and France approved a package of proposals to get Iran to halt work on enriching uranium at a Vienna meeting June 1. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana presented the offer to Tehran during his visit to Iran June 6.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said previously Tehran "will consider the proposals by the end of the Iranian month of Mordad [August 22], and will announce our decision according to the will of the Almighty."
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the proposals embraced three spheres: Iran's nuclear program, economic and trade cooperation with Tehran and security guarantees.
U.S. President George Bush said that sanctions against Iran would be toughened if the country failed to accept the world community's initiative aimed at settling the Iranian nuclear problem.
He said if Iran turned down the proposal the country could end up in international.
