"What is important is that each side accepts both the spirit as well as the letter" of an agreement on Iran suspending Iranian enrichment reached in Paris last month, Straw told reporters.

Straw, along with German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer and French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier, were to meet later Monday with Iran nuclear chief Hassan Rowhani to discuss the Paris agreement.

The accord, endorsed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), promises Tehran trade, technology and security rewards in return for suspending crucial nuclear activities that could be used to make atomic weapons.

The European trio refused at a meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog last month to let Iran withold 20 centrifuges from the enrichment freeze to do research, saying the halt must be total and involve all related enrichment activities.

Straw said: "We'll be discussing ... the full implementation of the Paris agreement."

"The words of the Paris agreement mean what they say," he said.

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