U.S. President George W. Bush's choice for the No. 2 position in the State Department says the United States is reluctant to hold direct talks with Iran until there is progress in the dispute over Tehran's nuclear program.

A second round of talks between U.S. and North Korean officials on U.S. financial sanctions have ended its first day in Beijing with little sign of progress. China has announced that parallel talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons programs will resume February 8, but Pyongyang has said there will be no progress until the financial sanctions are lifted. Daniel Schearf reports from Beijing.

China's Foreign Ministry says six-country talks on North Korea's nuclear program will resume on February 8 in Beijing.

Iran says it is considering an offer from the United Nations which would suspend sanctions against Iran for a certain period of time if Iran stops its sensitive nuclear work.

Iran says it needs more time to study a proposal from the head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency for a nuclear "timeout."

An Iranian nuclear official denied a statement by a Tehran parliamentarian that Iran had begun installing 3,000 new centrifuges for the purpose of uranium enrichment.

The United States says it is "outrageous" that Iran is demanding the removal of the United Nations official in charge of overseeing inspections of Iran's nuclear program.

Hints are emerging in Tehran that Iranians of various political persuasions are trying to put the brakes on firebrand President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.

The European Union called on all countries Monday to enforce United Nations sanctions against Iran and announced a series of measures it would take against Tehran's efforts to develop a nuclear program. Lisa Bryant has more for VOA from Paris.

Iran says it is still cooperating with the UN nuclear watchdog, a day after the country announced that it is barring 38 UN inspectors from working in Iran.

The Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) quotes a lawmaker as saying that Iran has barred 38 UN nuclear inspectors from entering the country.

U.S. envoy Christopher Hill today said six-party negotiations on North Korea's nuclear program will resume soon, but denied that an agreement had been reached in bilateral talks this week.