Iran has given "no clear answer" to a Western-backed proposal to suspend its controversial nuclear activities, says EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
Mr Solana said the two sides would resume talks in two weeks' time, when he hoped for a decision from Tehran.
He was speaking after talks in Geneva with top Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and representatives from the EU and UN Security Council.
In a shift of policy, a US official also joined the talks.
Diplomats had hoped that Iran would respond to a so-called "freeze-for-freeze" offer, under which a freeze of Iran's uranium enrichment programme at its current levels would be Tough talk over Iranian war games ...
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"It was a constructive meeting, but still we didn't get the answer to our questions," Mr Solana told reporters.
"We hope very much we get the answer and we hope it will be done in a couple of weeks," he said.
Mr Solana said he had agreed with Mr Jalili to speak again either by telephone or personally in two weeks.
In reply, Mr Jalili said he had put forward many positive ideas and he urged Western powers not turn away from negotiations.
"This package we have proposed contains a number of possibilities. In a nutshell, it is a new opportunity which should not be lost."
But doubt was cast over the value of the talks, after a member of the Iranian delegation said there was "no chance" of a freeze on the uranium enrichment programme.
Rising tensions
In addition to the EU, Iranian and US envoys, the talks in Geneva's city hall were attended by representatives from Britain, China, France, Germany, and Russia.
US Under-Secretary of State William Burns did not speak publicly.
The US and Iran have had no diplomatic relations since the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the taking of hostages at the US embassy in Tehran.
Formal contact between the two countries has been extremely limited, though last year they met at ambassadorial level to discuss security in Iraq.
The meeting come after weeks of rising tensions in the region.
The Iranians test-fired missiles last week, and a series of threats and counter-threats between Iran and Israel has been watched nervously in the West.
(BBC)
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