Solana made the remarks on the sidelines of an informal meeting of EU defense ministers in Finland. He also admitted that the talks had produced no breakthrough in the standoff over Tehran's uranium enrichment.

The EU foreign policy chief told a news conference that he had spoken on the phone with Larijani on Monday evening from Levi, a Lapland ski resort, where EU defence ministers on Tuesday had concluded their two-day gathering.

He said he had fixed no date for another face-to-face meeting with Larijani, adding that he was willing to travel to Tehran, if the Muslim holy month of Ramadan made it more difficult for Larijani to travel.

In response to a proposal by a top Iranian nuclear official, that France could enrich Iran's uranium on Iranian soil, Solana said, "It's an interesting idea but it's difficult to put it in place. That is something we have to analyze in greater detail."

Solana reiterated that the time to agree on a deal with the Iranians was limited, but he declined to set any deadline for the talks.

Iran has already failed to meet the UN Security Council's deadline for suspending its nuclear activities by Aug. 31. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last Saturday reiterated his country's refusal to suspend its uranium enrichment program.