Olli Heinonen, deputy head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog, concluded two days of talks in the Iranian capital earlier in the day, at which UN weapons inspectors and Iranian authorities discussed an "action plan" put forward by Tehran.
Heinonen said the sides had agreed on several issues, and attempted to agree on a deadline for Tehran to respond to the IAEA's remaining questions on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program.
Ahead of the talks, deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme Security Council Jawad Waidi said Tehran and the IAEA would fix such a deadline within the next 60 days.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterated Wednesday that the country would proceed with uranium enrichment for peaceful purposes and in compliance with IAEA requirements, but said Iran was ready to allay Western concerns by cooperating. "The Islamic Republic favors dialogue," he said.
Jawad Waidi also said Thursday's negotiations should be considered a separate process from the talks between EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani.
Iran's IRNA news agency quoted Solana as saying Wednesday he was likely to meet with Larijani by the end of this month to discuss Iran's uranium enrichment program, which has aroused international concerns over nuclear proliferation. Iran says it needs nuclear power purely to generate energy, and denies the program has military goals.
The EU and Iranian diplomats met in Lisbon on June 23 for negotiations which Solana described as constructive. Tehran called the meeting crucial, saying Larijani had offered to step up cooperation with the IAEA.
