Iran has given "no clear answer" to a Western-backed proposal to suspend its controversial nuclear activities, says EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
Mr Solana said the two sides would resume talks in two weeks' time, when he hoped for a decision from Tehran.
He was speaking after talks in Geneva with top Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and representatives from the UN Security Council and the US.
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State department spokesman Sean McCormack said Iran had two weeks to "give a clear answer" or face further isolation.
In a shift of policy, a senior US official, William Burns, was present at the Geneva talks, although he made no public comment.
Mr Burns delivered a "clear simple message" that Washington was "serious" about the incentives package but that it would only negotiate with Iran if it upheld its side, Mr McCormack said.
Playing for time?
Diplomats had hoped that Iran would respond to a so-called "freeze-for-freeze" offer, under which a freeze of Iran's uranium enrichment programme at its current levels would be matched by a Western pledge not to strengthen sanctions on Tehran.
"It was a constructive meeting, but still we didn't get the answer to our questions," Mr Solana told reporters.
"We hope very much we get the answer and we hope it will be done in a couple of weeks," he said.
Mr Solana said he had agreed with Mr Jalili to speak again either by telephone or personally in two weeks.
The BBC's John Leyne in Tehran says Iran is interested in the offer but it is unclear whether there are divisions in the leadership or the Iranians are playing for time.
Mr Jalili said he had put forward many positive ideas and he urged Western powers not turn away from negotiations.
"This package we have proposed contains a number of possibilities. In a nutshell, it is a new opportunity which should not be lost."
But doubt was cast over the value of the talks, after a member of the Iranian delegation said there was "no chance" of a freeze on the uranium enrichment programme.
Iran says its nuclear programme is designed to meet its energy needs, and it is defying UN Security Council demands to halt enrichment.
Rising tensions
In addition to the EU, Iranian and US envoys, the talks in Geneva's city hall were attended by representatives from Britain, China, France, Germany, and Russia.
The US and Iran have had no diplomatic relations since the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the taking of hostages at the US embassy in Tehran.
Formal contact between the two countries has been extremely limited, though last year they met at ambassadorial level to discuss security in Iraq.
The meeting come after weeks of rising tensions in the Middle East.
The Iranians test-fired missiles last week, and a series of threats and counter-threats between Iran and Israel has been watched nervously in the West.
(BBC)
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