Vice President: U.S. will not abandon direct talks with Iran in a constructive manner

Washington doesn't refuse from direct talks with Iran on nuclear settlement, but wants to have a serious meeting agenda, Vice President Joe Biden said during his speech at the 49th International Security Conference in Munich on Saturday, RIA Novosti reported.

"From the very beginning we said we were ready to meet bilaterally with Iranian leaders. We make no secret of it. Invitation remains in force, but there must be a serious agenda and intentions, from Iran as well," Biden said, when asked about the possibility of starting direct talks between Iran and the U.S. on Iran's nuclear program.

The U.S. believes that there is time and opportunity for diplomatic resolution of the Iranian problem, Biden said.

"We will hold talks with Iran," he said.

He noted that Tehran should abandon its nuclear program and then "there will be meaningful incentives."

According to Biden, "there is time and opportunity for diplomacy," but "not without pressure."

United States, other Western countries and Israel accuse Iran of developing nuclear weapons under the guise of peaceful nuclear program. Four UN Security Council resolutions imposing sanctions on Iran were adopted unilaterally by a number of countries, demanding Iran to provide full transparency of its nuclear program and prove it exclusively peaceful purposes.