Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, says his country would not benefit from talks with the U.S. about its nuclear program. Washington has offered to join European Union discussions with Iran if it agreed to halt uranium enrichment.
The U.S. says it does not consider the leader's comments as Iran's final word on the package of incentives offered by the UN. Secretary General Kofi Annan is urging the country to speed up its response to the package of incentives aimed at halting work on enrichment. He met with Iran's foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, in New York on Tuesday.Tehran says it will respond to the offer by mid-August. Western leaders want a reply before the G8 summit convenes in Russia next month. Annan says a mid-July decision would be optimistic.