"There are common subjects and common materials in both packages. We can start negotation on these common subjects," Iran's deputy minister for foreign affairs, Mahdi Safari told journalists here.

As Iran's top national security official Saeed Jalili had already signalled, Iran is "ready to negotiate" with the west, Safari said.

Tehran was examining closely the EU's latest proposals. At the same time, Iran was waiting for the West's response to its own proposals, the minister continued.

Earlier this month, European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana presented a new offer to Iran on ending the six-year standoff over Iran's nuclear drive, offering economic and trade incentives.

It was made on behalf of Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.

"When we received the package of the Europeans, the so-called P5+1, we said that we would study very carefully and we will give the appropriate answer."

At the same time, "we submitted our package ... 45 days ago, but still we have not received the answer," Safari said.

"We are expecting to receive an answer to our package."

Iran delivered its own package to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in mid-May as well as to world powers, including Russia.

However, until now it has provoked little reaction from world capitals, despite Iran's efforts to promote the package as a major drive to solve the world's problems.

As well as the nuclear stand-off, the Iranian package contains suggestions for curbing drug use, promoting security in regions like the Middle East and fighting poverty.

But Safari insisted that one issue was not dependent on the other and Iran was not making its response to Solana's offer conditional on the west's response to its proposals.

"There isn't a dependency," he said.

Safari refused to comment on the announcement by the EU Monday that it was imposing new sanctions against the Islamic republic, notably banning the country's largest bank, Bank Melli, from operating in Europe.

The measures, which will stop the operations of the bank at its European offices in London, Hamburg and Paris, were approved during a meeting of EU agriculture and fisheries ministers in Luxembourg.

The move, adopted without discussion by the EU ministers, also adds another 20 individuals and 15 organisations to the EU's visa-ban and assets-freeze lists.

The EU move, running alongside a string of UN sanctions against Iran adopted since 2006, aims at persuading Tehran to suspend its uranium enrichment activities, which the international community fears are part of a nuclear weapons-building programme.

Tehran insists it wants atomic energy only for a growing population whose fossil fuels will eventually run out.

Safari insisted he had not officially been informed of the EU's latest move.

"I don't know ... if these unilateral sanctions have been confirmed," he said.

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