But US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has insisted Tehran must suspend its enrichment and reprocessing of nuclear materials before substantive talks with Washington.
"The United States doesn't have any permanent enemies," Ms Rice said, after confirming Undersecretary William Burns was to meet Iran's negotiator Saeed Jalili in Geneva.
"And we hope this signal we're sending, that we fully support the track that Iran could take for a better relationship with the international community, is one the United States stands fully behind.
"We have been very clear that any country can change course."
Rice called the move "a strong signal to the entire world that we have been very serious about this diplomacy".
She said she had endorsed the proposal from the so-called P5 Plus One - the US, France, Britain, China, Russia and Germany - on incentives to advance talks with Iran on halting its nuclear program.
She called sending Mr Burns to Geneva the "bookend" to that process, but added: "It should be very clear to everyone the United States has a condition for the beginning of negotiations with Iran and that condition remains the verifiable suspension of Iran's enrichment and reprocessing."
Asked if yesterday's meeting was a one-shot deal, Rice said: "This is."
On Friday Mr Jalili was optimistic the talks would be constructive, provided Washington went with the right approach.
"What is important for us is with what approach they come to the talks," he told the IRNA news agency.
"If it is with a constructive approach, and they refrain from past mistakes, then, for sure, we will have constructive talks."
Western countries suspect Iran is secretly trying to develop an atomic bomb.
- AFP
"The United States doesn't have any permanent enemies," Ms Rice said, after confirming Undersecretary William Burns was to meet Iran's negotiator Saeed Jalili in Geneva.
"And we hope this signal we're sending, that we fully support the track that Iran could take for a better relationship with the international community, is one the United States stands fully behind.
"We have been very clear that any country can change course."
Rice called the move "a strong signal to the entire world that we have been very serious about this diplomacy".
She said she had endorsed the proposal from the so-called P5 Plus One - the US, France, Britain, China, Russia and Germany - on incentives to advance talks with Iran on halting its nuclear program.
She called sending Mr Burns to Geneva the "bookend" to that process, but added: "It should be very clear to everyone the United States has a condition for the beginning of negotiations with Iran and that condition remains the verifiable suspension of Iran's enrichment and reprocessing."
Asked if yesterday's meeting was a one-shot deal, Rice said: "This is."
On Friday Mr Jalili was optimistic the talks would be constructive, provided Washington went with the right approach.
"What is important for us is with what approach they come to the talks," he told the IRNA news agency.
"If it is with a constructive approach, and they refrain from past mistakes, then, for sure, we will have constructive talks."
Western countries suspect Iran is secretly trying to develop an atomic bomb.
- AFP
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