Italian Premier Romano Prodi would meet with Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani over Iran's nuclear program on Friday, Prodi's spokesman Silvio Sircana said on Thursday.

Besides the nuclear issue, the two would probably also discuss the crisis in Lebanon and Iran's role in the region, said Sircana.

The talks between EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Larijani, scheduled for Wednesday, have been postponed to Saturday, Solana said in Danish capital Copenhagen..

Iran, which has insisted on its right to a peaceful nuclear energy development program, defied an August 31 deadline set by the UN Security Council to freeze its uranium enrichment.

The United States, which has accused Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program, is now seeking to impose sanctions on Iran for its refusal to comply with the UN Security Council resolution.

Larijani was in Spain on Thursday for talks with Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

The European Union is hoping to give diplomacy one last chance to persuade Tehran to halt uranium enrichment in return for a package of incentives.

Also on Thursday, senior negotiators of Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States are to meet in Berlin regarding the Iran nuclear crisis.

Source: Xinhua