US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday that she is ready to hold direct talks with Iran if Tehran suspends uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities first.

"I am prepared to meet my counterpart or an Iranian representative at any time if Iran will suspend its enrichment and reprocessing activities. That should be a clear signal," Rice said.

"They (Iranians) need to stop and then we can come to the table and we can talk about how to move forward," Rice said.

Rice has made similar offers before and stressed that the United States has no intention to have military confrontation with Iran.

The United States has dispatched two aircraft carriers to the Gulf region, fueling speculation that Washington will launch a war with Iran, although the White House has said repeatedly it has no plan to go to war with Iran.

The United States has accused Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons and of meddling in the internal affairs of Iraq. Iran has denied the charges.

(Xinhua News Agency February 26, 2007)