Iran's senior nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani and European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana agreed on Thursday evening that talks about Iran's nuclear program would resume on April 25, Iran's state television reported.

"Iran is always ready for constructive talks over its peaceful nuclear program, while observing its legal rights," Larijani was quoted as saying.

Thursday also saw a condemnation of Iran by US National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe, saying that Tehran's latest round of nuclear activity showed its utter defiance of the international community, a potential for new sanctions.

"Iran's leaders continue to lead their proud people down a path of further isolation. While their leaders see this as an advance, it is only a step backward," said Johndroe.

In a recent confidential report, the IAEA revealed that Iran, blithely ignoring two sets of UN sanctions imposed upon it since December, had begun feeding small amounts of uranium gas to around 1,300 centrifuge machines that can enrich the gas to a dangerous weapons-grade level.

"Some UF6 (uranium hexafluoride gas) is being fed into those cascades," International Atomic Energy Agency head of safeguards Ollie Heinonen wrote in a letter sent Wednesday to Iran's ambassador to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh.

The United States has issued a unilateral demand that Iran cease this enrichment since the process could eventually lead to a nuclear bomb. Iran has consistently dismissed these charges, affirming its nuclear program is solely for civilian power generation.

(Xinhua News Agency April 20, 2007)