The European Union's foreign policy chief is calling on Iran's new president to schedule "meaningful talks" on the nuclear issue as soon as possible.

Spokesman Michael Mann said Tuesday the EU's Catherine Ashton congratulated Iran's newly sworn-in President Hassan Rouhani and urged him to use his strong mandate "to seek a swift resolution to (the international community's) serious concerns about Iran's nuclear activities."

The West fears Iran's nuclear program aims at developing atomic weapons, while Tehran insists it serves only peaceful purposes.

Ashton said she and the group of nations negotiating with Iran — the five permanent UN Security Council nations plus Germany — "stand ready to continue talks to find a resolution as quickly as possible."

Meanwhie, President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday he was "seriously determined" to resolve a dispute with the West over Tehran's nuclear programme and was ready to enter "serious and substantive" negotiations on the issue, reported Reuters.

But, speaking during his first news conference as president, he said the other side should realise that a solution could be reached "solely through talks, not threats".

He said he was confident the concerns of both sides could be removed in a short time.

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