"We will study the offer and, God willing, will give our opinion at the end of the Mordad," Ahmadinejad said in a speech, referring to the Iranian month that ends on August 22.

The statement prompted immediate telephone consultations between the foreign ministries of Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States - the UN Security Council permanent members - plus Germany over a unified stance to the delay.

Bush reacted first by saying after an EU-US summit in Vienna that Iran was dragging its feet over a "reasonable deal" and that global powers believed an answer should come within weeks."

"It seems like an awful long time for a reasonable proposal," Bush told a press conference after the talks.

"It shouldn't take the Iranians that long to analyze what is a reasonable deal," Bush said. "I said weeks, not months, and I believe that is the view of our partners."

Washington and the European Union further warned in a joint statement that the issue could again return to the UN Security Council - despite Iranian objections - should Tehran fail to join direct talks.

"We have agreed that if Iran does not engage in negotiations, further steps would be taken in the Security Council," the EU-US joint statement said. "We urge Iran to take this positive path."

Meanwhile Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel said in his capacity as EU president that "time is limited. We should not play with time."

Diplomats say Iran was originally asked to reply by June 29.

The offer, presented to Iran on June 6, involves incentives and multilateral talks if Iran agrees to suspend uranium enrichment - at the center of fears it could acquire nuclear weapons - and cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

But Iran has so far only said it wants fresh negotiations without preconditions, indicating it will not stop enriching uranium.

A joint stance on Iran remains critical amid earlier refusal by Russia and China - who both have strong trade and military ties with Tehran - to use either economic sanctions or force to prompt Iran to halt nuclear research.

The US State Department said the six foreign ministers agreed in phone talks that Iran must accept the "very good offer" quickly because patience from the global powers "isn't unlimited."

"They discussed this latest development," State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said of the six foreign ministry officials. "They all agreed that the P5-plus-Germany has made a very good offer to Iran, and we all urge Iran to accept that proposal."

Ereli said the six foreign ministry officials "reiterated the common view that we said on June 1, we expect a response within weeks, not months. And that was reaffirmed today in the call."

He said world powers expected Iran to respond through European Union foreign affairs chief Javier Solana, who originally made the international offer to Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani.

"We look forward to hearing back from Larijani to Solana, in weeks, not months, about our response," he said.

"Now is the time for Iran to accept this offer. It's not - our patience isn't unlimited," Ereli said.

Iran replied by telling Bush not to rush it into providing an answer to the offer by major world powers over its uranium enrichment programme.

"President Bush cannot and must not be in a rush," said Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on a visit to Rome.

"When (European Union foreign policy chief) Javier Solana gave us his suggestions on June 6 no time limit was set", he told Italian television.

Iran Still Undecided On Nuclear Offer

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on Tuesday said Tehran had yet to make up its mind over a deal offered by Western governments aimed at defusing the standoff over its nuclear program.

"It is not decided yet," Mottaki told reporters on the sidelines of a pan-Islamic conference in the capital of Azerbaijan, as US President George W. Bush upped the pressure on the Islamic republic ahead of a US-European Union summit.

Mottaki said Iran still had "doubts" over a carrot-and-stick plan to coax Iran into negotiations over its nuclear program, which the United States and Europe fear could be hiding atomic weapons development.

"I can't say for the time being when the answer will be finalized. There can be some questions and doubts which should be clarified," he said, speaking in English.

The United States and its partners - Britain, France, Germany, as well as Russia and China - have made Iran's suspension of uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities a condition for talks on Tehran's atomic program.

So far Tehran has indicated it rejects that pre-condition.

International negotiators have set a June 29 deadline for Iran to respond but Mottaki said Iran was "working on the proposal of the six countries" and denied there was any time limit.

"When this package was offered no deadline was given for our answer."

Bush leaves Tuesday for a US-EU summit in Vienna that will examine, among other issues, the package offer to Iran.

On Monday, he warned of "progressively stronger political and economic sanctions" if it refuses to freeze sensitive nuclear activities in return for talks.

Mottaki called Bush's comments a "threat" and "unacceptable."

"It's as though some have forgotten that the time of threats is over. Threats are unacceptable in today's world," he said, adding that "the political rights of Iran must be respected."

With Iran suggesting that it will soon unveil its own proposal for ending the crisis over its atomic programs, Bush signalled that the suspension of uranium enrichment and reprocessing was not negotiable.

"If Iran's leaders want peace, and prosperity, and a more hopeful future for their people, they should accept our offer, abandon any ambitions to obtain nuclear weapons, and come into compliance with their international obligations," Bush said in a speech to the graduating class at the US Merchant Marine Academy in King's Point, New York.

Mottaki is due to visit Italy on Wednesday for talks with his counterpart Massimo D'Alema, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

Mottaki also attacked what Tehran perceives as Western-sponsored ethnic unrest in Iran after members of the ethnic-Azeri minority in the country rioted in May in protest over the publication of an offensive cartoon in an Iranian newspaper.

"Any plan to make divisions among Iranian people was always defeated," Mottaki said, adding: "We do not let a third party to interfere in our relationship."

Mottaki said all of Iran's minorities had a place in its society.

"Iranian, Azerbaijani, Turkmen, Baluchistani, Kurdish: All have important roles in running the country," he added.

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