U.S. says major powers discuss Iran nuclear issue

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- U.S. State Department Spokesman P.J. Crowley said Friday officials from Western European countries, Russia and China discussed the Iranian nuclear issue earlier in the day.

Crowley said officials talked over a conference call, and William Burns, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, represented the U.S. side.

"They discussed both tracks," Crowley said, referring to both the pressure track and the negotiation track in the dual-track strategy the major powers are pursuing regarding Iran's nuclear program. The conference call lasted about 90 minutes.

Western nations have been seeking UN Security Council approval of further sanctions against Iran to pressure Tehran into freezing uranium enrichment.

Signaling a shift in Tehran's position, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday said that there is "no problem" if Iran ships abroad its low-grade enriched uranium and takes upgraded uranium several months later.

Crowley said Burns' discussions with representatives of major powers in the morning "took stock of" those comments, but also asked Iran to notify the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The West has accused Iran of using its nuclear program to develop a nuclear weapon, a charge adamantly denied by Iran, which insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Friday urged the international community to stay patient and step up diplomatic efforts to seek solutions to the Iranian nuclear issue, saying " Iran has not totally shut the door" on the IAEA proposal on nuclear fuel supply.

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