Major powers to discuss Iran next week in Germany

BERLIN (Reuters) - Senior officials from major powers will meet in Germany next week to discuss the conflict with Iran over Tehran's nuclear program, the German Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

Political directors from the United States, Russia, Britain, France, Germany and China are to meet in the Frankfurt area next Wednesday, a ministry spokeswoman said.

The gathering will be the powers' first meeting since U.S. President Barack Obama came into office last week.

The new U.S. administration has said Obama would break from his predecessor by pursuing direct talks with Tehran but has also warned Iran to expect more pressure if it did not meet the U.N. Security Council demand to halt uranium enrichment.

Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchechr Mottaki said on Thursday Iran was ready to cooperate with Obama if the United States changed its policies and practices in the region.

Western powers fear Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian atomic program. Tehran says it wants to master nuclear technology for peaceful power generation purposes.

(Reporting by Kerstin Gehmlich)