Iran not yet agreed to nuclear suspension-US

WASHINGTON, Sep 28 (Reuters) Iran has not yet agreed to suspend its uranium enrichment programme as demanded by the international community, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said today.

But he said neither the United States nor other major powers want to impose sanctions and it remained up to Tehran to halt enrichment.

''The ball is in their court,'' he told a news briefing where he discussed two days of talks in Berlin between European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana and chief Iran negotiator on the nuclear issue Mr Ali Larijani.

The United Nations Security Council last July set an August 31 deadline for Iran to halt enrichment -- essential to building bombs and producing electric energy -- but has extended it until the first week of October.

Asked if Iran had told Mr Solana it would commit to the suspension, Mr McCormack said: ''To my knowledge, they have not.'' But he added: ''We continue to hope for a positive answer from the Iranians. ... Nobody wants to go down the path of sanctions. That is not our first choice. But we are prepared along with the (other major powers) to go down that path if that's the door the Iranians want to open.'' He said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had spoken by telephone with Solana yesterday night and would probably speak to him again today.

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