ISTANBUL (AP) - Iran's chief nuclear negotiator says Teheran and the six world powers will resume talks on its nuclear programme "in the near future".

Mr Saeed Jalili said on Thursday that a new round of talks could take place either before or after elections in Iran next month.

Mr Jalili was speaking a day after he met with EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton in Istanbul to see if the sides had enough common grounds to restart negotiations.

"We discussed how we could bring the differing views closer to each other," he said.

The United States and its allies fear Iran's nuclear programme could lead to producing atomic weapons.

Iran says it is seeking nuclear capabilities for energy and medical applications. The last round of talks in Almaty, Kazakhstan concluded last month without a breakthrough.