Rowhani, speaking after talks with the foreign ministers of Germany, France and Britain, said he hoped they presage a "new chapter, not only with the three European countries, but with Europe as a whole."

"If the two sides pursue these negotiations in good faith I think the two sides will arrive at a new stage," he told reporters.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw added: "We are now able to move forward to the next phase," confirming that working groups of officials from both sides would pursue talks starting immediately.

"We are all committed to the successful outcome of the process which began in Iran 14 months ago," when Tehran first reached agreement with the so-called E3 on its uranium enrichment activities.

Straw said that a key purpose of the talks would be to determine "that Iran's nuclear program can only be used for peaceful purposes."

Under an agreement struck last month in Paris, Iran pledged to suspend all uranium enrichment activities, in return for promises for trade, technology and security rewards.

The United States, which charges that Iran is using the Paris agreement to gain time to enable it to secretly develop nuclear weapons, has not yet supported the EU initiative with Iran but is not opposing it.

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