The United States on Friday welcomed an agreement by Iran and the European Union to resume talks over Iran's nuclear program.

Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani and European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana agreed during a phone talk on Thursday to resume nuclear talks on April 25.
 
"Certainly we support those continued contacts between Mr Solana and Mr Larijani," State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said.

"What we would hope would come out of that meeting would be an agreement by the Iranians to meet the very simple terms and conditions laid out by the international community that would allow us to begin negotiations with them on their nuclear program," Casey said.

The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted on March 24 a new resolution with tougher sanctions to pressure Iran to suspend uranium enrichment activities.

Iran has refused to heed the Security Council's demand, insisting that its nuclear programs are for peaceful purposes only.

The United States and its Western allies have accused Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of its civilian nuclear programs.

(Xinhua News Agency April 21, 2007)