The United States reiterated yesterday that Iran should respond "within weeks, not months" to a Western package of incentives aimed at getting Tehran to suspend uranium enrichment activity.

In comments to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's remarks that Iran will formally respond to the Western proposal in mid-August, deputy State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said "it shouldn't really take the Iranians that long to analyze what is a reasonable offer."

"It's time for Iran to respond to that proposal, and we have made that position clear ... We made it clear on June 1st. Nothinghas changed in that position," Ereli said.

"There are two pathways, and it's up to Iran to choose which one it wants to take -- the pathway of positive engagement through negotiations, or the pathway of confrontation and further isolation."

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said earlier Wednesday that Iran will respond by mid-August to the proposals presented to Tehran in early June by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

Ereli said that the United States, together with other four permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, have been waiting for Iran's response to overtures on its nuclear program.

"We said on June 1st we expect a response within weeks, not months," Ereli said.

The spokesman made the remarks hours after U.S. President George W. Bush accused Iran of dragging its feet on the six-power proposal on the settlement of Iran's nuclear crisis.

Bush said that the mid-August timetable "seems like an awfully long time" to wait for an answer. "It shouldn't take the Iranians that long to analyze what's a reasonable deal," Bush said.