Iran and top EU powers failed on Friday to resolve a stand-off over its nuclear work before a UN atomic watchdog meeting next week that may lead to Security Council action over fears Tehran secretly seeks nuclear bombs.
After two-hour talks in Vienna at Iran's request, foreign ministers or top diplomats from Germany, France and Britain, as well as EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, said Tehran had no new ideas on how to allay concerns about its intentions.
They repeated to Iran that it must shelve enrichment-related work to regain trust and spawn fresh negotiations on trade incentives, which could include Russia's offer to purify uranium for Iran to prevent possible siphoning into bomb production.
The EU leaders said Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani gave no sign it would back off from its quest for sensitive nuclear technology that it says is meant only to generate electricity, not build bombs as the West suspects.
Iran had no immediate comment. No more talks were scheduled.
The International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-nation board of governors convenes on Monday to weigh a report by the IAEA chief saying essentially Iran has ignored a February 4 board resolution urging it to shelve uranium-enrichment work to ease the crisis.
"We wanted to see if Iran was in a position to give a positive answer to the coming IAEA board. Our terms are simple and legitimate and would not jeopardise Iran's development. Unfortunately we were not able to reach agreement," French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said after the talks.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the EU3, which froze talks with Iran in January after it broke a 2 1/2-year moratorium on nuclear work, granted its request for a short-notice meeting hoping to hear a new proposal, but in vain.
"Today's meeting came at a very critical point in time. Time is running short. If we want success (by negotiations), we have to get it now," Steinmeier said in a statement.
"The IAEA board deliberations on Iran's nuclear programme will happen next week and they will be of great significance - either we'll achieve a deal enabling renewed negotiations or the matter will be referred to the Security Council."
IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei met Larijani later on Friday but said afterwards no deal emerged on demands Iran suspend enrichment again and cooperate fully with agency investigations.