Iran is open to holding further talks with six world powers over its nuclear programme, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Sunday, a day after the failure of the latest round of dialogue.

Ahmadinejad's remarks came after the world powers expressed disappointment over the two days of talks held in Istanbul, even as the United States and Germany voiced hopes of holding new negotiations with the Islamic republic.

"They have talked for a few rounds, but we never expected that issues would be resolved during these few sessions because of the record and mentality of the other parties," Ahmadinejad said in a speech aired live on state television from the nothern city of Rasht.

"But if the other side is determined and committed to justice, law and respect, one can hope that suitable results could be achieved in future sessions."

The talks in Istanbul on Friday and Saturday failed to yield results between Iran and the so-called P5+1 -- UN Security Council permanent members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany.

The dialogue was aimed at ascertaining whether Iran's contentious nuclear drive masks a weapons programme as suspected by the West, but staunchly denied by the Islamic republic.

The world powers blamed Iran's conditions, the lifting of sanctions and its right to enrich uranium, which is the most controversial part of its nuclear programme, for the failure of the Istanbul dialogue.

Ahmadinejad, under whose presidency the nuclear programme has grown, said however that the talks created the conditions for "good agreements in future sessions" as both sides met and got acquainted to each other's views.

But he charged that "the uncultured Zionists (Israel) and some power-hungry people in Europe and the US are not interested in a good resolution of the issues."

"I am telling the 5+1 officials that if you want the negotiations to bear results, you should free yourself from the pressure of short-sighted and uncultured people in order to pave the way for further engagement.

"The world should know that this nation stands up to bullying and will put the bullies in their place. You cannot make Iran back down an inch from its course as it is now a nuclear state," said Ahmadinejad.

Iran had set the stage for fierce wrangling as soon as the Istanbul meeting began on Friday, declaring its uranium enrichment work was not up for debate.

The West wants Tehran to abandon the sensitive work as the refined material can be used to power nuclear reactors as well as to make the core of an atom bomb.

Speaking after the talks, Iran's chief negotiator Saeed Jalili insisted on Tehran's right to enrich uranium "must be recognised."

But his counterpart in the negotiations, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, said the outcome of the latest dialogue had "disappointed" her given Tehran's "pre-conditions relating to enriching uranium and sanctions."

Germany also expressed regret on Sunday, while holding out the hope that there could be more talks.

"Unfortunately Iran was not yet ready to take such substantial confidence-building step," German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle in a statement.

"We will now intensively consult with our partners to discuss the way forward. We are still prepared for talks. I hope that Iran is ready to take the outstretched hand of the international community."

Those comments came after a senior US diplomat also raised the possibility of future talks.

"Clearly, according to public reports, there are signs that the Iranian nuclear programme has slowed," he said on condition of anonymity. "So I think there is time and space for diplomacy."

On Sunday, the Iranian media rounded on the West for derailing the Istanbul talks.

"Fruitless talks as Iran refuses to be blackmailed," splashed the front-page banner in the Farsi-language hardline newspaper Kayhan.

In an editorial, Kayhan directly blamed the West for the failure of the dialogue, saying: "Iran negotiated strongly in Istanbul, but heavy mistakes in calculations in the West's mind did not allow an agreement to be reached."

Kayhan's English version said Iran entered the dialogue on an "equal footing" with the West, adding the "lifting of sanctions was the price the West has to pay" for Tehran's help in solving issues of Iraq and Afghanistan.

earlier related report
World powers ponder options after failed Iran nuclear talks
Istanbul (AFP) Jan 23, 2011 - World powers were considering the next step after their failure to persuade Iran to allay fears over its nuclear programme, with some observers raising the possibility of further US sanctions.

No new talks were scheduled with Tehran, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton told reporters at the end of two days of talks in Istanbul on Saturday.

"We had hoped to embark on a discussion of practical ways forward, and have made every effort to make that happen. I am disappointed to say that this has not been possible," she added.

Iran's talks with the P5+1 group comprising Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany had done nothing to allay fears that Tehran might be secretly developing an atomic bomb.

"It remains essential that Iran demonstrates that its nuclear programme is peaceful," Ashton told reporters.

They had hoped to make progress on a revised version of a nuclear fuel swap proposal and ways to improve transparency through monitoring measures by the UN atomic watchdog, said Ashton.

But "...it became clear that the Iranian side was not ready for this, unless we agreed to pre-conditions relating to enrichment and sanctions," she said in a statement issued on behalf of the six powers.

In London, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Iran's "refusal to engage" was "extremely disappointing".

French Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said the conditions Iran had set -- including the lifting of sanctions -- were the reasons the talks had failed.

"This blocked everything," she told reporters in Paris.

Ashton said that while now was the time to take a pause, the door remained opened to future talks -- a sentiment echoed by a senior US diplomat.

"Clearly, the sanctions have had an impact," the diplomat added, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Clearly, according to public reports, there are signs that the Iranian nuclear programme has slowed. So I think there is time and space for diplomacy," he said.

The slowing of the nuclear programme appeared to be a reference to the effects of the computer virus Stuxnet, which targeted Iranian nuclear centrifuges producing enriched uranium in November.

Israel has said the cyber-attack set back Iran's plans for an atomic bomb by several years. Iran, which denies any such military ambitions, said Thursday the virus had not affected its nuclear programme.

According to a report in the New York Times, Stuxnet was developed by the United States and Israel.

Ahead of the Istanbul talks, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the sanctions already in place against Iran were biting, slowing the Iranian nuclear programme.

For Iran specialist Bruno Tertrais of the Paris-based Foundation for Strategic Research, the US felt they could afford to play a waiting game.

"Since the summer of 2010, the tension has eased," he said.

"The sanctions are starting to be felt and there have been sabotage operations," referring to the Stuxnet cyber-attack.

How things go from here however, is far from clear, said Mohammad Saleh Sedghian, head of the Tehran-based Arabic Centre for Iranian Studies.

"It is very difficult to predict the future of Iran's nuclear case now since many factors can shape its future.

"On one side the Iranian parliament has said that it could take steps obliging the government not to take part in any more talks.

"On the other hand the US could go towards adoption of another set of sanctions against Tehran, which in turn will harden the Iranian position."

According to the New York Times however, Obama could come under pressure to impose fresh sanctions, a view shared by Semiz Idiz, editorial writer at the Turkish newspaper Milliyet.

"I would not be surprised to see the West adopt new sanctions against Iran to force it more towards a compromise," he said.

Iran's nuclear programme has already been the subject of six UN Security Council resolutions, of which four included a range of economic and political sanctions.

On top of those measures, the United States and several other countries have imposed their own sanctions.