World powers to meet on Iran on sidelines of UN talks

World powers leading negotiations with Iran to try to persuade it to abandon its suspect nuclear programme will meet Thursday on the sidelines of a UN summit, a US official said. The official, who asked to remain anonymous, said ministers from the P5+1 group -- the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France plus Germany -- would hold talks in New York to see how they could push the talks forward. "We can confirm that there will be on Thursday a meeting of the P5+1 at the political directors level, that will be followed by a P5+1 ministerial," the official told reporters late Tuesday. "It is a way for the P5+1 to consult and take stock of where we are and consider our next steps." The news came as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shrugged off threats of a military strike on his country's nuclear facilities, showing defiance ahead of his final appearance at the UN General Assembly this week. Ahmadinejad criticised Western powers for their sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme and for allowing filmmakers and cartoonists to lampoon the Prophet Mohammed in what he branded a "sacrilege" of Islam. The United States and its European allies accuse Iran of seeking to develop a nuclear bomb and the UN Security Council has imposed four rounds of sanctions against Iran. Ahmadinejad's government insists it is seeking peaceful applications of nuclear power in energy generation and medical research. "We are working with our P5+1 partners to rachet up pressure, but as the president and secretary has said, there's still time for diplomacy," the US official said. "We are always looking to see how we can advance the ball in terms of trying to get Iran to comply with its international obligations. "It is important that we remain focused on this. It is an urgent matter. We certainly have seen tremendous P5+1 unity with relation to Iran. I think it was just an opportune time" for the group to meet, he added.