WASHINGTON - THE United States on Sunday reiterated its intent to continue discussions with Teheran over its nuclear programme but downplayed any role that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would have in formulating policy.

'Whatever Mr Ahmadinejad says, everyone understands that in Iran, he is not the person who makes decisions on foreign policy, on defence policy,' senior White House adviser David Axelrod told the ABC show 'This Week.'

The arbiter on policy in the Islamic republic is its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who Washington has openly hinted was the ultimate target of US engagement policies.

Mr Axelrod's comments - and those of Washington's ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice - come a day after Mr Ahmadinejad again slammed US President Barack Obama for 'interfering' in Iran, as debate raged over the Iranian president's disputed re-election.

Ms Rice told CBS's 'Face the Nation' that Mr Ahmadinejad is 'not the principal decision-maker when it comes to foreign policy and national security,' and that the supreme leader is.

'That was the case before the election; it is the case now,' she said. 'And we will proceed in pursuit of our national interests, using all elements at our disposal, to try to achieve the goals that are most important to us, which are obviously to prevent Iran from pursuing its nuclear weapons capability, preventing a regional arms race (and) ensuring that our partners and allies in the region and indeed the United States remain safe.'

On Friday, Mr Obama decried Iran's crackdown on demonstrators as 'outrageous' and warned that any direct dialogue with Tehran would be 'affected by the events of the last several weeks.' But he said that talks between Iran and the five veto-wielding permanent members of the UN Security Council (P5) plus Germany over its nuclear programme were likely to continue, a message reinforced Sunday by Mr Axelrod and Ms Rice.

'We will continue to pursue the offer that the P5... plus Germany put on the table two months ago in April to give the Iranians a choice,' Rice said.

'This is up to them. They have one path, which is a path of ending their nuclear weapons programme and acting responsibly, rejoining the community of nations, or another path, which is to face increased isolation and pressure.

That is up to them.' Ms Rice added that US officials 'have not rescinded that prospect' of face-to-face talks between Teheran and Washington.

Mr Axelrod said Teheran's failure to halt its nuclear program would yield 'some very stark consequences.' 'Nuclear weapons in Iran and the nuclearisation of that whole region is a threat to that country, all countries in the region, and the world,' the adviser said. 'And we have to address that. We can't let that lie.' -- AFP