World powers to hold talks with Iran Six world powers announced on Tuesday that they were ready to hold another round of talks with Iran over the its nuclear programme, in what many will see as a final attempt to reach a diplomatic compromise that avoids military action by Israel or the US. In a move that paves the way for talks between Iran and the six powers to begin next month, Catherine Ashton, the European Union's foreign policy chief, wrote to Saeed Jaleeli, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, accepting his proposal to resume dialogue. In her letter, Baroness Ashton, representing the six powers - the US, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China - said the dialogue would have to focus on the international community's concerns about Iran's nuclear programme. Baroness Ashton said the six powers were prepared to address other areas of interest to Iran. But "the main focus will have to be on building confidence by developing concrete and practical steps," she said. The price of Brent crude, the global benchmark contract, fell $1.99 to $121.81 a barrel following the announcement. The Nymex April West Texas Intermediate, the US benchmark, declined $1.50 to $105.25 a barrel. The resumption of talks will see Iran and the six powers - often called the E3 plus 3 - coming together for the first time since talks fizzled out in January 2011. Up to that point, Iran and the E3 plus 3 had been engaged in protracted talks at which world powers tried to persuade Iran to swap some 1,200kg of low enriched uranium for fuel rods required to fuel a research reactor. However, no deal was struck. Since then, Iran has pressed ahead with key features of its nuclear programme, including a significant increase in the enrichment of higher grades of uranium that could be used for a nuclear weapon. Western diplomats said privately that they viewed with some scepticism what could be achieved after the failure of talks in Geneva, Vienna and Istanbul in 2009 and 2010. "If Jaleeli comes with the same attitude he had in Istanbul a year ago, these discussions are going to be very short," said one senior diplomat. But we are ready to engage in a step-by-step solution. My view is that if the Iranians are serious, we could have up to three rounds of talks. The offer to hold talks by the six countries follows increase in tensions between Iran and Israel in recent months. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister, said on Monday that time was running out for diplomacy to prevent an Iranian nuclear weapon after meeting President Barack Obama at the White House. Israel has waited patiently for the international community to resolve this issue. We've waited for diplomacy to work. We've waited for sanctions to work," Mr Netanyahu told an audience that included a large number of members of Congress. None of us can afford to wait much longer. Mr Netanyahu's comments added to speculation that Israel could launch a military strike in the coming months aimed at destroying nuclear installations in Iran. Earlier the US president had repeated his appeal that a new round of sanctions on Iran be given time to work.