Iran's foreign minister said on Monday a way must be found to end the protracted deadlock between Iran and world powers over Tehran's nuclear programme.

"The two sides have reached a conclusion that they must exit the current stalemate," Ali Akbar Salehi was quoted as saying by the Iranian Students' News Agency.

Iran and six world powers - the US, Russia, France, China, Britain and Germany - have expressed readiness to revive efforts to find a negotiated solution to a decade-old dispute over Iran's nuclear programme that has stirred fears of a new war in the Middle East.

Salehi said he did not know when the next round of talks would be held, according to ISNA.

The six powers said last week that they hoped soon to agree with Iran to hold a new round of nuclear talks.

Israel - believed to have the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal - has threatened military action if diplomacy and economic sanctions intended to halt Iran's uranium enrichment activity do not resolve the standoff. – Reuters